Black Metal (Dean Blunt album)

Black Metal is an album by British musician Dean Blunt, released by Rough Trade Records on 3 November 2014.[2] The album features vocals from Blunt and frequent collaborator Joanne Robertson.[3] Musically, Black Metal features more traditional pop song structures than Blunt's previous work, but is diverse in instrumentation and genre. The album includes elements of indie pop, folk pop, Americana, dub, ambient, grime, drone,[1] and dancehall.[4] Critics have also noted the prose of Blunt's lyrics as being similar to contemporary hip hop lyrics, which often reflect that of dark subjects like infidelity and alcoholism.[5]

Black Metal
Studio album by
Dean Blunt
Released3 November 2014 (2014-11-03)
GenreArt pop[1]
Length53:31
LabelRough Trade
ProducerDean Blunt
Dean Blunt chronology
The Redeemer
(2013)		 Black Metal
(2014)		 Black Metal 2
(2021)

Blunt has stated that the album was inspired by what he sees as black artistic liberation away from the appropriation of 'existing/old white images' (a la names like Black Elvis, Black Cobain) toward 'something that is undefined and is new'.[3][6][7] The lead-out grooves of each side of the vinyl version feature the first four letters of the Supreme Alphabet of the Nation of Gods and Earths.

In June 2021, Blunt released a sequel album, Black Metal 2.[8]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[9]
Metacritic79/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Fact4.5/5[11]
The Guardian[12]
Mojo[13]
NME9/10[14]
The Observer[4]
Pitchfork7.3/10[1]
Q[15]
Resident Advisor4.5/5[2]
Uncut8/10[16]

Black Metal currently has a score of 79 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10] Critics praised Blunt's emotional range and directness on the album.[2][3] In a review for The Observer, Killian Fox wrote that Blunt had created "some of the most achingly beautiful music recorded this year."[4] Writing for Pitchfork, Colin Joyce called the album "disjointed" but praised the album for its sound and for Blunt's clearer, more pop-oriented style compared to his previous work.[1] However, AllMusic's Andy Kellman criticised the album for being "quantity-over-quality" and for what Kellman saw as a derivative sound.[5] Michael Hann characterised the album in The Guardian as a needlessly difficult listen that was sometimes repetitive, but nonetheless praised it as "extraordinary."[12]

Accolades

Black Metal placed first on Tiny Mix Tapes' and Crack Magazine's lists of best albums from 2014.[17][18] Both publications also named it the best album of the 2010s.[19][20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dean Blunt, except where noted. All tracks are produced by Blunt

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lush"
1:58
2."50 Cent" 2:35
3."Blow" 2:31
4."100"
3:20
5."Heavy" 1:58
6."Molly & Aquafina" 4:06
7."Forever" 13:00
8."X" 8:54
9."Punk" 2:34
10."Country" 2:10
11."Hush" 1:16
12."Mersh" 3:25
13."Grade" 4:45

Notes

  • All tracks are stylized in all caps. For example, "Lush" is stylized as "LUSH".

Sample credits

  • ^[a] "Lush" contains a sample of "For You", written by Stephens and performed by Big Star.
  • ^[b] "100" contains a sample of "Over My Shoulder", written by McRobbie and performed by The Pastels.

References
  1. Joyce, Colin (17 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. Ryce, Andrew (3 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  3. Eede, Christian (10 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". The Quietus. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  4. Fox, Killian (1 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal review – a work of strange dichotomies". The Observer. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. Kellman, Andy. "Black Metal – Dean Blunt". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. Chandler, Simon. "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  7. "Dean Blunt FM : Black Metal Thesis".
  8. "Dean Blunt Releasing New Album BLACK METAL 2 This Week". Pitchfork. 8 June 2021.
  9. "Black Metal by Dean Blunt reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  10. "Reviews for Black Metal by Dean Blunt". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  11. Hall, Josh (3 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Fact. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  12. Hann, Michael (30 October 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal review – extraordinary, in a baffling way". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Mojo (253): 93. December 2014.
  14. Nesbitt, Huw (1 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – 'Black Metal'". NME. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  15. "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Q (341): 107. December 2014.
  16. "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Uncut (211): 72. December 2014.
  17. "2014: Favorite 50 Music Releases of 2014". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  18. "The ultimate, definitive Best Albums Of 2014". Anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  19. "The top 100 albums of the decade".
  20. "The top 100 albums of the decade". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
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