11/06/2026
Five years ago today, Dean Blunt’s Black Metal 2 (finally) materialised with a release via Rough Trade Records. For an artist defined by a mist-filled approach to music, the arrival of a direct sequel to his 2014 masterpiece felt entirely inconceivable until the moment it dropped, despite being teased over the course of many years.
Clocking in at 23 minutes, around half the length of its predecessor, the record stands as some of the most approachable yet deeply detached music of his career. Visually, the album artwork pays homage to the original Black Metal sleeve while adding a graphic green “2” that nods to the iconography of Dr. Dre’s 2001. Sonically, otherworldly atmospheres are built by cutting beautiful, melancholic string scores with cold-blooded spoken word and the familiar tones of frequent collaborator Joanne Robertson.
Tracks like ‘MUGU’, a West African slang term for a scam victim, juxtapose his commanding baritone against gently plucked guitars to unpack narratives of modern sins. On opener ‘VIGIL’, the album confronts the visceral trauma of gun violence with cryptic, devastating testimony, while ‘DASH SNOW’ acts as a direct nod to the late photographer whose work famously archived the nocturnal subcultures, substance abuse, and artistic vanity that Blunt frequently references.
The record ultimately concludes on a heavy wave of pessimism with ‘THE ROT’, a meditative final reminder that all good things inevitably fade away.
Half a decade later, we think Black Metal 2 remains one of Blunt’s most mystical albums.
What’s your favourite Dean Blunt project?
