There’s been no stopping David Reece lately. It feels just like yesterday that the former Accept frontman released his last album, Cacophony of Souls. Turns out that was 18 months ago, and as we all know, A LOT has happened in the past 18 months. So much has happened that it encouraged Reece to write and record a follow up. Clearly inspired by the ongoing global insanity around him, Reece has returned with an album that reflects these themes both musically and lyrically, fittingly entitled Blacklist Utopia.
Whereas Cacophony of Souls is more or less a collection of songs that reflect the various hard and heavy sounds of Reece’s 35 year career, Blacklist Utopia comes off as a concept album being held together by a thread of insanity. The music is substantially heavier than its predecessor, with many riffs veering off into Lamb of God-esque groove metal territory (i.e. “Civil War”, “Hindsight is 2020”, “Devil at My Doorstep”). Funny enough, Reece even mentioned this in my interview with him, but I digress. There’s still enough melodic hooks intact to appeal to Reece’s fanbase of old school metalheads. Furthermore, such heavy lyrical content requires heavy music. If a song requires bludgeoning chug riffs, so be it.
Reece’s vocals remain powerful as ever, packing the soulful punch of David Coverdale and venomous strike of Udo Dirkschneider. These vocals shine brightest on the traditional metal/hard rock centric tracks. There’s “Red Blooded Hell Raiser”, a pure 80s metal assault with rapid fire riffing, driving drums, and seamless twin guitar harmonies over a ripping solo. “Most of the Time” is a fast and powerful rager that answers the question, “What would Yngwie Malmsteen sound like if David Reece sang for him?”, while “Before We Fade Away” is a badass exercise of metal in the Deep Purple/Rainbow vein.
While Blacklist Utopia shows growth in both the songwriting and production department, it also shows growth in the musical department. The album’s cohesion can be heard beyond the themes of the songs and within the band’s playing itself. The only personnel change since the last album is the addition of former U.D.O. drummer Francesco Jovino. Maybe it just took an album and some time to gel together, but Blacklist Utopia comes off as a band effort with each individual member feeding off of one another’s respective energies.
Blacklist Utopia is indeed a utopia of hooks, heaviness, and high caliber musicianship. With two high profile projects on the horizon (Iron Allies and Highway Sentinels), there’ll be no shortage of David Reece being covered on this site or others. However, I highly anticipate his next solo offering, especially if this band remains in tow. As long as he keeps putting out material like this, Reece will never be on our blacklist!
6 out of 10
Label: El Puerto Records
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Judas Priest, Saxon, Accept