Country meets the colossal on Royale Lynne's assured but flawed debut album
Royale Lynn’s debut album seems like an unusual hybrid. Based in Nashville, famed as the home of country music, Lynn’s voice is alive with country’s hallmarks – strong, true and suffused with melody. Setting that excellent instrument against a metal backdrop is therefore something of a no-brainer, then, in the age of finding dynamism in the disparate. Although, on paper, fusing two beloved musical categories while chronicling mental health struggles may sound designed by algorithm, Black Magic largely overcomes the cynicism – if not its own limitations.
At its best, as on E.V.I.L. and the Evanescence-esque title track, Black Magic feels like an effortless balancing act, illustrating why Lynn has earned more than 65 million global streams. As tracks on a playlist, of course, this makes for punchy stuff, but in the context of an album, sometime around its midway point, DRAGON, the lack of variety makes proceedings drag.
Lynn’s charismatic performances and grandstanding but honest lyrics thankfully mean it’s a journey worth taking, albeit in just the one gear, though you do wonder why there couldn’t have been a touch more in the way of experimentation. Even the choice of collaborator on DEATH WISH, fellow country and metal melder Danny Worsnop [Asking Alexandria], lacks any degree of surprise, as solid as the results are.
Listening to Black Magic makes you think about what a debut album should be. If you think it should take you down any number of creative avenues, captivating and confounding in the process as the artist sees what sticks, then this isn’t the record for you. If, however, you want a singular effort that offers a firm but safe footing in the world of an artist announcing herself to the world, then this conjures some moments of magic.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: Danny Worsnop, Asking Alexandria, Spiritbox
Black Magic is out now via Epitaph Records
