Year : 1984 (No Remorse Records Limited Edition 2025)
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 236 mb
Bio:
American heavy metal band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin founded in 1980 with: Gerry Springer, Geoff Fischer, Mark Holtz ,and Rick Koch.As metal started to flourish in America in the mid-eighties, bands like Blacklist were commonplace, releasing a self-financed vinyl album or two without ever really gaining any worldwide fame. Hailing from Milwaukee, Blacklist's one release is a rare 4-track EP, Sign Of 4, featuring a classic American 80's metal sound and a wailing vocalist in Mark Holz. The production is rough, but nonetheless perfect for the times, allowing the raw energy of their mid-paced metal anthems to shine. Bands of this style were numerous back then, so while Sign Of 4 isn't the most original release in the world, it's a great nostalgia trip back to a time where underground metal was really starting to take hold.
Album:
Limited edition double CD set including "The Sign Of 4" EP (originally released in 1984), bonus demo tracks, and a bonus live CD.Blacklist's 'The Sign of 4' EP offers up some nice, albeit typical, 80s trad metal. The songs are based around heavy, catchy riffs with a hooky power chord vibe to boot, reminiscent of Grudge's 'Barbarians of the New Earth' but tighter. The production and songwriting is surprisingly good for an independent release from an unknown act; the band had obviously put in the practice time and were indeed ready for the vinyl stage. Nice guitar work is featured throughout. The only catch is the vocal performance; while not the typical nasally/shrill-sounding US singer, the vocals here are an odd combination of high and slightly hoarse. I can't think of a great comparison, but it's the sort of rough sound usually associated with German bands from this era. Nevertheless, he does have his moments by hitting and holding some nice high notes.'Steady on the Steel' is, as one might suspect, a headbanging anthem, easy to raise you fist and sing along to. 'Confrontation' is even better, with a great, catchy riff that instantly grabs your attention and sticks. Unfortunately the remaining two tracks are not as strong. They're still competently written and performed, but they simply don't leap out and grab you like the first two tracks. Thus, the end result is a 50/50 split between songs that are strong versus merely average. Those interested should check out the tracks on the cd compilation before investing the time and money to track down an original vinyl copy.
Line Up:
Mark Holz (R.I.P. 2008) - Vocals
Jon Rogue - Guitars
Rick Koch - Bass
Ron Pyne - Drums
Production:
Produced At – Breezeway Studios
Mastered At – Fantasy Studios
Engineer – Lee Crooks
Graphics, Design – Neil Mickey
Mastered By – Bart Gabriel, George Horn
Producer – Blacklist, Lee Crooks
Written-By – Blacklist, Rogutich, Holz, Koch*, Pyne
Tracklist:
CD1: The Sign of 4 & Bonus
01. Steady on the Steel 05:44
02. Confrontation 05:29
03. Sin Sentence 06:01
04. Revenge 07:22
05. No Rest for the Wicked (demo) 05:07
06. Demolition Dogs (demo) 03:55
07. Leathercoated Band (demo) 04:02
08. Grim Reaper (demo) 02:49
CD2: Live at the Palms 1984 / The Official Bootleg
01. Grim Reaper (live) 03:18
02. Flash Rockin' Man (live) (Accept cover) 04:29
03. Injun Rats (live) 06:02
04. Demolition Dogs (live) 04:03
05. Rollin' Thunder (live) 02:23
06. Revenge (live) 07:52
07. Screamin' Fight (live) 03:32
08. The Number of the Beast (live) (Iron Maiden cover) 05:05
09. Confrontation (live) 05:11
10. Leathercoated Band (live) 04:03
11. Rongo - Drum Solo (live) 01:41 instrumental
12. Headhunter (live) 04:35
13. No Rest for the Wicked (live) 06:27
14. Fast as a Shark (live) (Accept cover) 03:56
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
