Blacklist – Afterworld
Release Date: 28th October 2021
Label: Profound Lore Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Post Rock, Goth Rock.
FFO: Beastmilk, Grave Pleasures, Killing Joke.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
Waiting in the shadows for a tad over a decade, NYC’s Blacklist return to bring their music to the masses with the release of their sophomore album, Afterworld. Formed in 2005 during what is considered by some to be a wildly creative time in NYC in terms of post punk and related genres, Blacklist released their first album, Midnight of the Century in 2009. Shortly after that, things grew quiet for the band until the single ‘Disorder’ was presented during summer of 2020. Their newest album, Afterworld,”…explores the possible meanings of love in a time of political and environmental collapse.” This may just be the soundtrack to a dystopian future and, if that is the case, you will get no complaints from me.
Blacklist craft a blend of post/goth/death rock that is reminiscent of long-standing acts such as Killing Joke and Fields of the Nephilim. Let’s tick off what I expect to hear from a band drawing heavily from the goth genre in particular: percussion that has strong, tribal beats, basslines that are prominent and driving the overall song, jangly guitar, lots of reverb, and dramatic vocals. Yes, Blacklist meet all of the criteria, but with a bit of razzle dazzle. There are some gorgeous classical guitar bits, well thought out use of synthesizer, and even a dash of saxophone. Typically, I am not a fan of the sax (exception being the man in ‘The Lost Boys’ because he truly in the most amazing and oiled up sax player ever), but I have to say it fit well in this work. The single ‘The Final Resistance’ is a quintessential goth rock track; it has a beat that would surely pack a dance floor. I can picture it now: the air heavy with clove cigarettes, bodies in black garments all twisting and moving in sultry and mesmerizing ways. Most songs carry a dark and erotic energy, but there are some outliers that have catchy choruses and generally nice poppy elements. You might think this wouldn’t fit, but somehow Blacklist makes it work.
The biggest drawback of Afterworld is at times it almost becomes a bit formulaic in terms of song structure. Perhaps if I listened to music from more of a technical standpoint this might be more of an issue, but I listen to it from the standpoint of someone who appreciates music. Based on that, a bit of repetition was not turning me off from this work. I quite enjoyed it, as it brought up a lot of wonderful memories of going to Ceremony in Pittsburgh (RIP you fabulous goth club). Had Blacklist been played, I would have been out on that dance floor in a heartbeat. 
(4 / 5)
