BLAK29 – The Waiting – CD Review

26th January 2023 0 By Jon Deaux

Blak29 is the brainchild of Samhain and Danzig member Steve Zing and features the vocals of The 69 Eyes frontman Jyrki 69. As you would expect the album The Waiting contains elements of the aforementioned bands in abundance. However, it’s done in a fresh way.

Tracks such as Bleeding Love are reminiscent of The Cult‘s Electric era (Lil Devil features on that album and I defy ANYONE that likes their goth rock to say that it’s not a banger of a tune)

Of course, you have the Danzig/Samhain-tinged tracks. The title track The Waiting and End Of Days are prime examples of this. Dark, moody,

The single Destroyer with its hook taken straight from the Kinks classic All Day and All of the Night is a fun little number but doesn’t do the album justice at all. It’s actually the weakest of the 11-track record. Which isn’t bad as The Waiting as a whole, kicks.

The highlight for me comes late in the album (track 10 to be precise) with I Am Screaming (But Nobody Hears). I’m unsure why this track speaks to me. My head was down, nodding gently as the gospel choir washed over me. This is the most depressing song I have heard since 9 Milion Raing Days from The Jesus and Mary Chain. I bloody love it.

Black29s new opus The Waiting isn’t going to set the ground alight or is genre-bending, what it is tho is everything you want from a Samhain and Danzig member. Since Glen Danzig seems to have gone off the boil of late (in my opinion), this album will suppress the ravenous masses for a while.

Long Cool Woman closes the album and it’s a monster. Such a good groove and a proper little toe-tapper. A great track to round off a solid album and has me wishing the album was longer.

The Waiting is a joy to listen to and it will be spinning on the decks of death for some time to come.

It’s been 7 years since the last Blak29 album and it’s been worth the wait. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait 7 years for a follow-up.

Score 8/10