dean blunt – black metal (2014)

This is a beloved album. Partly due to the release of its younger brother in June 2021, ‘Black Metal’ has enjoyed a thorough artistic renaissance, rousing a renewed appreciation for Dean Blunt’s idiosyncratic method. This record manages to be pathologically honest in its message, but layered and innumerable with its atmospheric devices; the strings throughout are particularly enticing, despite being braided with agitated lyrics of cloistered isolation. ‘Black Metal’ is the stranger who walks into your store once a day, but never speaks, never buys anything. It releases unshakeable fascination and grazes the heart of some protected mystery.