Single Review: Blacklist - Blood On The Sand
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
There’s been a fantastic drip feed from the Blacklist camp over the past few weeks as the Blackpool thrashers have built up the anticipation to the release of their latest single, ‘Blood on the Sand’. The Moshing the Roof On alumni have utilised their social media to the max, and the result is an explosive slice of brutal UK thrash.
Opening with sounds of machine gun fire across a battlefield, ‘Blood on The Sand’ explodes into immediate breakneck speed and within seconds you should be circling around the room in a solo mosh pit. It’s more infectious than coronavirus in a Valleys house on Wales v England matchday. An immediate hit, the savage pace, snarling lyrics, pounding drums and vicious riffing combine into one beast of a track. Tackling war across the generations, the lyrics are thoughtful and delivered by Larkin’s strong vocal style. It’s the sheer intensity of Blacklist that grabs you by the throat. There may be elements of Teutonic and Bay Area thrash infused into their sound, but Blacklist are staking a claim for a place at the UK thrash top table with this bruiser.
The band are tighter than a jar of pickles for a pensioner with arthritis; the searing solo leaves scorch marks, the riffs are an absolute aural assault, and it batters from start to finish. I had it on repeat for an hour. If this is the taster for the album, then it should be one of the highlights of 2021.
