REVIEW: Royale Lynn - BLACK MAGIC

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee; Royale Lynn’s debut album BLACK MAGIC fuses alternative and indie with rock and country. BLACK MAGIC delves into mental health battles, channelling Lynn’s own personal struggles as the driver behind this work. Royale Lynn has taken clear influence from such established artists as Evanescence and Flyleaf, with a Wage War inspired punchiness to create “super catchy hook-heavy anthems”. Lynn has been on the scene since 2023, finding success with her first single 'Six Feet Deep'. Since the release of her first single, Royale Lynn has toured with household names such as Seether, Skillet and Dirty Honey, as well as featuring at some of the USA’s biggest rock festivals including Aftershock and Rocklahoma, and has even toured with such established acts as Asking Alexandria.

BLACK MAGIC is made up of twelve tracks tackling the important subject of mental wellbeing. This is a subject that is sure to resonate with a wide spectrum of listeners, as the stigma around mental health gradually becomes less and less potent. The opening track is named 'GREED', which opens powerfully with the lyrics “I can see behind your eyes the sickness has consumed you”; a real statement of intent for the rest of the album right from the outset. It’s an incredibly catchy tune for sure and, for the listener, a real head-bopper. The second track, 'E.V.I.L.', is deeply dark but incredibly well composed, coming across as a pulsing ball of electronic energy. As another catchy, easy to move along to song; for this listener it has real potential as a future arena classic for live audiences everywhere.

The third track of the album is title track 'BLACK MAGIC'. The opening features operatic vocals and a sole piano, before kicking in with thumping percussion, metal guitar work and an infectious chorus. For this listener, it was a nostalgia trip back to when music was on MTV - fans of Evanescence will draw parallels with the masterpiece 'Bring Me To Life' which this listener certainly enjoyed. 'Sacrifice' is the fourth entry on the album, which opens with a Spiritbox-esque guitar led intro, that repeats as an addictive riff throughout the track. The lyrics “Control takes a piece of my soul” and “But that’s the sacrifice I’ve made” gives the impression of a witch-hunt, which this listener believes is the meaning behind this song - it can often feel like it’s us against the world and it’s not easy to avoid losing a part of yourself to appease others.

The fifth track of this album is 'PANDORA'S BOX', which smoothly begins with delicately plucked metal strings, strongly reminiscent of 'Enter Sandman'. As the track progresses, Lynn’s vocals once again contribute to an Evanescence sound that also hints towards Spiritbox’s 'Jaded', with the varied riffs contrasting with the remainder of the track. The song has an almost Eastern feel to it in places - a formula proven to be successful by Lacuna Coil’s hit Karmacode album. Luckily, it has again worked well, with 'PANDORA'S BOX' being a high point for the album. The sixth track, 'DRAGON', is lyrically brilliant and an instant head-banger. Cutting lyrics such as “You didn’t know karma had teeth” showcase Lynn’s creative fury in this track, which is sure to grab the attention of and resonate with audiences everywhere. Aggressive guitar and bass work provides an appropriate accompaniment to what is a bona-fide rock banger sure to be popular on the live circuit.

This is a theme that continues into the seventh track, 'WHEN WE DIE', which explores the universal eternal question of what happens to us when we meet our eventual end. Drum machine beats and synthesisers contrast with and complement thundering heavy metal riffs wonderfully, creating some interesting genre-shifts within the space of the one song. For this listener, 'WHEN WE DIE' is a pick of the album, turning a dark deep topic into a catchy fun listen. The eighth track of this album is 'WTCH'. Opening with the lyrics “Catch me if you can, you can burn me like a witch”, it’s hard not to appreciate and respect the sheer attitude on display here. Instrumentally heavy from the first second, the clear formula of energy, sass and catchiness continues here. It's not hard to find comparisons in this track with the work of Wargasm, namely fan-favourite 'Bang Ya Head' which featured the talents of the great Fred Durst. Such a contribution would not be out of place on 'WTCH' either - attitude-wise, it’s worthy. The witch theme is one that’s being embraced by women throughout the world of rock right now, with the message being clear; if you feel like you don’t fit in - own it!

The ninth track of this album is 'DARK MODE'. This really is a not so subtle window into Royale Lynn’s Nashville roots - country style vocals work to provide something just a little different from much of the rest of the album, while the heavy metal instrumentals offer enough continuity to ensure the track doesn’t feel totally out of place. 'INSIDE OUT' is tenth on the album, and showcases a pop influence with a catchy hook the likes of Ke$ha would be proud of! Sure to be another popular live performance, you can almost hear an audience already chanting along to this one. The eleventh track of this album is 'DEATH WISH' and it features vocals from Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria fame. This song kicks hard with Worsnop’s impactful vocals contributing, and again, is something just different enough to distinguish 'DEATH WISH' from the rest of the album to keep the listener hooked.

The album's finale is 'BATTLEGROUND'. This song goes out with a bang and is a fine conclusion to the themes of struggle and non-compliance heard in the preceding tracks. A slightly slower pace bringing together all the elements of the album so far: heavy metal guitars, bass and drums, alongside drum machines and synthesisers; lyrically, this track does feel like a natural closing point.

To sum up, Black Magic is extremely impressive as an album in its own right, and it’s hard to believe that this is a debut offering. The lyrics and vocals come across as mature and seasoned, with nearly every track featuring an energy and catchiness that has proven to be a winning formula. The mental health message is such an important one that will resonate with so many and it is a struggle to find any real particular points of criticism with the production. The closest that this listener can find is that, despite how enjoyable this album was to listen to, these are songs made for an arena - written to enthral and excite. They’re good to listen to when sat in the car or on the sofa - but they’ll be at their best when the lights are flashing and a whole community of fans is singing along to every word. This is an artist to watch with interest.

Score: 9/10

Black Magic was released on June 27th 2025.

Words: Dulce Mendes

Photos: Royale Lynn