Living close to Philadelphia has given me quite an amazing privilege to watch this band bloom into what they are now. Ever since I heard Blacklisted's lead singer, George Kirsch, sing a guest spot on Punishment's "Broken But Not Dead" I was immediately intrigued. The band's previous material was mostly overlooked outside of the Philly scene until the recent Deathwish release of We're Unstoppable, which contained the Our Youth Is Wasted LP as well as the early demo tracks. To many, Our Youth Is Wasted will always be the defining Blacklisted record, but for me, I was more than willing to see what ...The Beat Goes On could deliver.

Noticeably, the band has weighted their music with a heavier guitar tuning and a beautifully punchy recording courtesy of Jim Seigel. If you're scared off by blatant aggression and anger, then Blacklisted is probably not what you're looking for in a hardcore band. The Cro-Mags-esque vocal style that Kirsch used on the previous recordings is seldom heard on this record. I've heard several Hatebreed comparisons, but unless we're talking about Under the Knife or Satisfaction...-era Hatebreed i wouldn't really group these two bands together. Blacklisted is entirely a product of modern hardcore at this point. Their songwriting style is proof of that. Somehow the band manages to be unapologetically heavy without resorting to tired chugga chugga breakdowns. Songs like "Wolves at My Door" and "I Refuse" are filled with motion in their structure as well as plenty of speed and aggression.

Unlike many, I wasn't looking for the band to deliver another Our Youth Is Wasted because I think that's a bit absurd considering what the band has gone through in terms of lineup changes. I've never complained when hardcore bands get heavier or more aggressive over time. If you share this same outlook, then ...The Beat Goes On will fulfill every possible desire you could have for a hardcore record of this day and age.

[originally written for PunkROCKS.net]