Album review: BLACKLIST UNION – Slay The Dragon

BLU Records [Release date 12.09.25]

Los Angeles based Blacklist Union are a band I highly recommend checking out if you haven’t before now, and they are about to release their 6th album “Slay The Dragon”. Having highly rated the band’s last album “Letters from The Psych Ward” I was looking forward to hearing this, and I have not been disappointed.

Produced by Christopher Johnson (Evanescence, Scott Weiland) the album draws influence from front man Tony West’s encounters with the Shipibo Indians in the Amazon, an experience he used to get over a bad divorce, and one that has provided him with a source of inspiration that has helped create a superb album.

The album will appeal to fans of Guns n Roses, Velvet Revolver, Stone Temple Pilots and The Cult but will no doubt prick the ears of a wider audience. Singles “Mississippi Moonhound”, “Dyin’ 4 U” and the excellent “Up in Smoke” will have you pressing repeat, repeatedly. Then you have the likes of “All Hail The King” and “Can You Heal Me” with their rhythmic, driving force or the equally driven and almost hypnotic feel of “Free At Last” and “Do It For The Song”.

“Slay The Dragon” is a consistently strong album and does not let up throughout, the creative team of main songwriters West and producer Christopher Johnson works incredibly well (Johnson also playing most of the instruments here). One of the things I really like with this record is that every time you play it a different track will stick out as a favourite that time, whether it be “Hey Mr. Superstar”, “Rock N Roll Soldiers” or “X Marks The Spot”, and if “Horns and Halos” isn’t a radio hit then the world has gone completely mad.

Special mention must be made of the album’s title track, with it’s Cult like qualities it feels different from the rest of the songs here and closes out “Slay The Dragon” in fine style. The album is released on Friday 12th September 2025, do yourself a favour and give it a listen this weekend. *****

Review by Nikk Gunns

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Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025

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Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025

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