Blacklist Union today share the world premiere at MetalTalk of their new single and video for Dyin’ 4 U. The track is taken from their new album, Slay The Dragon, which is set for release on 12 September 2025, and given the amazing response to the songs shared so far, the excitement is building and building.
The Los Angeles hard rockers, led by the enigmatic Tony West, bring that super slice of sleeze to Dyin’ 4 U. I love the delivery on “Signifying that I’m done dying.. Clarifying that I’m unwinding….” into the chorus. This is such an inspiring singalong. It shows that melody and emotion are the main drive in the songwriting process. “Yes, melody and emotion is my life,” Tony told MetalTalk.
There is a great history to Blacklist Union, though it is one tinged with sadness at times. It has been just over ten years since Back To Momo was released. This was an album crafted by Tony West that developed his friendship and partnership with Todd Youth.
Known for his work with Warzone, Murphy’s Law and Danzig, Todd would pass away in 2018 aged just 47. “I’m very proud of the Back To Momo record,” Tony said. “I got back to my roots, and I always have that gift of me and Todd writing that record. I miss that guy.”
With online stories suggesting that Back To Momo was named after a Hollywood brothel, one had to raise the question. “Back to Momo is named after a whorehouse,” Tony smiles. “That is correct.”
After a further eight-year gap, the album Letters From The Psych Ward was released and was an awesome return, massively well-received. There was the difficult process of handling the emotions around songwriting without his good friend, Todd Youth, around.
“Trying to find a new songwriting partner is like trying to find a new wife,” Tony says “It could be difficult. But it turned out beautiful.”
Both Psych Ward and this new album, Slay The Dragon, saw Tony build a writing partnership with Chris Johnson, the talented record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.
“Chris Johnson is Blacklist Union member number six,” Tony says. “I call him the mad scientist of rock. He’s a pleasure to work with. He’s always so positive. And he knows my voice and style better than anyone.”
The results of this relationship are there to see and hear with the new Blacklist Union album. The album oozes style, and you can feel the excitement when the needle hits the groove.
For Tony, the excitement is building further. “Yes,” he smiles. “I can’t wait for people to hear the new record.”
The first two singles had great recognition. I loved Mississippi Moonhound with the great heavy guitar and awesome octave vocals, which add a classy depth.
Up In Smoke is also a great track, with great makeup and great visuals. This is certainly a must-watch. “The set-up for Up In Smoke, my guitar player Dee [Hayes] and I did the makeup and the styling,” Tony says. “We figured we’ve been doing this shit long enough. Why pay somebody else to do it? We know our shit better than anyone.”
Blacklist Union recently played the Whisky a Go Go. A legendary place to play, if you wondered if there was any extra pressure, given the status of the venue, then you would be wrong.
“The Whisky is our hometown gig,” Tony smiles. “We play that once a year. We love playing for our hometown crowd, and I’ve been playing the Whisky since I was a kid.
Hometown gig or not, the fact is that Blacklist Union have always been one of those bands that stand out live, and that status is sure to be enhanced by the new Slay The Dragon songs.
The reception to this all has been great, and the boys are buzzing. “The crowd loves the new songs,” Tony says. “There’s a deep cut off Slay The Dragon that I’m really excited about playing. It’s called Do It For The Song.”
The band play Bar Sinister in Hollywood the day after Slay The Dragon is out. The venue has a strict all-black dress code, not that this will be a problem for Blacklist Union. You know the whole band will pass the door test.
“We pass the Bar Sinister dress code every single day,” Tony says. “We would never wear white shoes or blue jeans at home. I wish I could have that Bar Sinister set of rules in my own home, actually.
“We love playing Bar Sinister. They’re always super good to us, and it’s a great gig.”
You know the band will raise hell and rock the night away. Anything special planned for the evening? “You’ll have to wait and see ;-)”
You can find out more about the awesome new single Dyin’ 4 U here.
Slay the Dragon is out on 12 September 2025, and pre-orders are available from https://unitedmasters.com/m/slay-the-dragon.
