REVIEW: Blacklist Royals – ‘Die Young With Me’

June 6th, 2014

Matthew Leimkuehler

Blacklist Royals Die Young With Me Review

Artist: Blacklist Royals
Album Die Young With Me
Genre: Rock ‘n’ roll
Label: Krian Music Group

Die Young With Me is the rock ‘n’ roll record 2014 needs. Laden with composed thought and texture, it is a record that caters to the musical fan ready and waiting to be taken on a true journey. And that’s what Blacklist Royals’ brand new record, Die Young With Me, represents: a journey. The band’s drummer Rob Rufus’ vigorous battle against cancer is illustrated both lyrically and musically through the record, making for heart-wrenching autobiographical elements that eat away at the listener’s emotions. It’s a testament of how perseverance can take place through music.

It is the emotional effect of Die Young With Me that makes the record stand out amongst mediocre rock ‘n’ roll, or punk rock records of today. Songs like the opener, “Righteous Child,” tear into you through the first-person narrative. The battle gets no easier as the record goes on. Lines like, “If you’re reading this then I’m gone / if you’re reading this then I’m gone / boy, I’ve hadja on my mind / and I had to take the time time / to letcha know I’ve always loved you despite the things thatcha did or will do / I’ve hadja in my heart,” from the track “Twenty Six And Gone”…those are the kinds of lines that make your heart swell upon first listen.

Setting all emotions aside — the record is musically sound. It contains an essence needed to obtain timelessness in music. It’s pure, it’s honest, and it’s real. It’s not a record that gives in to technological loopholes or fallacies as is too often seen in modern rock music. It’s just a group of guys who created a collection of songs about overcoming a tragic set of events. Those elements are what makes for timeless music. Tracks like “Skeleton Crew,” or “Die Young With Me,” are tracks so etched with the energy we associate with rock ‘n’ roll music, or music that has stood the test of time, that we can return to these numbers in 10, 20, or even 30 years and know the songs still hold musical value — whereas the same might not hold true for certain artists who get lost in the fallacies of modern trends.

Die Young With Me is a timeless story that grips and rips at your emotions from start to finish. It is a record that has captured more emotions than one could possibly think imaginable on a record. It is worth a spin, or ten, and definitely suited to withstand aging better than most. Embrace music that embodies a wicked tale of a dude who kicked cancer’s ass and enjoy it for years to come.

SCORE: 9/10
Review written by Matthew Leimkuehler (@callinghomematt)

Stream the full record via A.V. Club now.
Pre order Die Young With Me, due out June 10, today.