Dangerkids were formed in 2012 with their debut album Collapse being released in 2013. When Collapse was released there was a sense of a mini nu-metal revival as they blended post-hardcore with rap. This made the band standout and we were all made to sit down and listen because of this. Throughout the new album you can hear some Linkin Park , A Day to Remember and I Prevail vibes but they add their own elements to make the album different, fresh and unique.

Their new album Blacklist_ is a great ride from start to finish. From the beginning with Kill Everything we are hit with an electronic riff and straight into Tyler Smyth’s first rap with heavier screams from Andy Bane throughout. Its a great way to start the album giving off a lot of energy making us want more!

Next up are the title track Blacklist and Inside Out Blacklist carries on from where Kill Everything left off with another heavier high energy track which starts off slowly with some synth effects then heavy guitar, Inside Out starts our softly with some nice rapping from Tyler then the chorus hits in and we hear some heavier vocals and rock riffs, the transition from rapping verse to chorus works particularity well in this song.

We are then onto the middle of the album with Crawl Your Way Out , which slows the energy of the album down and feels like a mini instrumental at the beginning of the song , This song has a particular old school Linkin Park feel with a modern alternative chorus. Next up is Things Could Be Different, which is a favourite of mine , We have had this track on repeat for the last week! The best part of this track is the vocal transitions at the start of the song which then leads into a banging aggressive chorus and i can’t forget to mention the great electronic breakdown around 2 minutes in. I could rave about this song for days, just take listen for yourself below –

Next up is Ghost In The Walls starts off with soft piano vibes and moves onto a heavier rock riff the piano works well with the guitar in this song with a seamless transition into the chorus. Nothing Worth Saving is next and hits us straight with an electronic and guitar into which works well then slows things down with a hollowing vocal overall another consistent track which wouldn’t be out of place on many rock stations. Singularity is an instrumental going int the next song Summoner’s Rift  It sounds like there has been a lot of experimenting with the start of this track and the vocals give you an A day to remember feel but with a Dangerkids twist! the track works well and is a little different to anything we have heard so far on the album.

The final two tracks on the album are Glass on Water and Invincible Summer Glass on Water starts with some high energy hard hitting rapping and merges well with the transition into the chorus the highlight of this song is around 2 minutes in after a heavy scream we are treated to a great guitar solo , one of the best on the album.

Invincible Summer is the slowest track on the album which took me by surprise and credit to the band for trying something different as it works well. The track is acoustic and stripped down from the rest of the album. It ends the album well but may have been better placed within the middle of the album as a whole.

The Blacklist_  is a great album and well worth the wait. I think Dangerkids have created their own sound which set them apart from others in their genre , Andy and Tyler work extremely well together and have created a great chemistry that you can feel throughout the album.

Get the blacklist_ here!