Album Review: Lord – Blacklisted (Heavy Hound Records)

Hailing from Virginia, Lord will release their new album Blacklisted on May 26 2017 via Heavy Hound Records.

From the opening muddy riffs, dirty vocals & slamming bass hooks of Mile After Mile there really isn’t any question that Blacklisted is bringing a hefty slab of sludge metal. 6 tracks of groove led, filth encrusted music that shows their is plenty of life outside the likes of Down, Eyehategod & Crowbar.

Saying that though, at times the vocals do channel their inner Anselmo for They Lied. Moving from gruff, throaty singing to high pitched roars then to a deep, booming death metal style. There is a hell of a range but it sits well behind the music rather then taking centre stage. It’s a got some serious swagger, brutally heavy but not a mess of sound.

Whereas the first two tracks really led with the groove, The Bandage goes out for a more direct assault at least until its sudden lurching shift to a slow melody & beat with softer vocals. It doesn’t last long before upping things again but it just feels oddly placed. It didn’t add anything to the song.

Composure is regained for the slamming duo of Blacklisted & The Heart of a Hero. The former a up-tempo, catchy slice of sludge pie while the latter is a slower, groove infested number looking for a little swagger from the listener.

A damn fine album finishes off on the best song of the bunch. Not Your Problem? takes the themes of the album (the destruction of the Earth & our role in that) & makes them standout for the first time across its 29 minute run. Utterly brilliant finish.

Lord – Blacklisted Full Track Listing:

1. Mile After Mile
2. They Lied
3. The Bandage
4. Blacklisted
5. The Heart of a Hero
6. Not Your Problem?

You can pre-order Blacklisted over on Bandcamp. Check the band out over on Facebook, Myspace & ReverbNation. You can also find out more about Heavy Hound Records here.