Album review: BLACKLIST UNION – Letters From The Psych Ward

BLACLIST UNION - Letters From The Psych Ward

Cargo Records [Release date 15.09.23]

Big, slick, dark and dirty, “Letters From The Psych Ward” is the latest album from Blacklist Union, the band’s sixth, and first for eight years. The album embraces decades of musical influences and therefore sounds modern yet classic, it also could be a contender for my favourite album of 2023 at this point.

There is not a weak track amongst the thirteen on offer here, but there are a handful of standout songs in “Out On A Jones”, “Whore of Babylon”, “Devil With The Angel Face”, “Gates of Steel” (complete with a slightly familiar sounding riff that is reminiscent of the Sex Pistols – have a listen, you’ll see what I mean), for me though, the album’s lead single “Dirty Halo” is the hands down winner here.

The darker “The Queen of Everything”, “Dancing With The Angels” and massive sounding “Mia” are also essential listening, and the album closes with a cover of Bowie’s “Golden Years”.

Blacklist Union is led by frontman Tony West, the band’s only permanent member, who has created an absolute blinder of an album with “Letters From The Psych Ward”. If you are a fan of the likes of Guns n Roses, Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots but want a fresh and modern slant on this then you will love this album. *****

Review by Nikk Gunns

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