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Blackyard Riot - "(Not The One To) Blame" - It Might Get Loud (Nov 14, 2025)

Every once in a while you discover a band whose sound is shaped enough by its influences that it feels familiar, but not so much that it comes across as a cheap imitation. Germany’s Blackyard Riot is just such a band. On their debut, It Might Get Loud, they strike a delicate balance between inspiration and imitation, resisting the temptation to become a carbon copy of their heroes. Yes, they wear their influences proudly — what band doesn’t?! — but they never let those influences drown out their own voice.

Blackyard Riot is a four-piece that features Dersim Tugal on vocals and lead guitar, Nico Keener on rhythm guitar, Patrik Apel on bass, and Lars Lunova on drums. At the band’s core are Tugal and Lunova, who began writing songs together in 2023 after Lunova’s previous band, Sin City, found itself on an unexpected hiatus. The result of their efforts is a collection of high-energy, riff-driven songs that draw inspiration from bands like AC/DC, Airbourne, and Backyard Babies without sounding derivative. All music was written by Tugal and Lunova, with Lunova handling the lyrics. It's worth mentioning that It Might Get Loud is a true DIY effort — recorded, produced, and mixed entirely by the band.

The album kicks off with “Rollin Thunder,” which opens with a pick scrape and a riff that would make early-1980s Def Leppard proud, and it sets the stage for what’s to come. Gravel-throated Tugal trades off vocals with Sin City singer Porty Portner, who lends his higher register to much of the album, either as a co-lead or background vocalist. The song features an arena-ready chorus and even includes a tip of the hat to “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Other such musical nods are sprinkled throughout an album filled with sharp songwriting, interesting melodic twists and turns, excellent playing, sing-along choruses, and guitar tones most bands only dream of achieving. Tugal’s lead guitar work is impressive throughout, and he and Keener show they can riff with the best of them. Beneath it all is the steady groove of Apel and Lunova holding everything together while driving each song forward.

Standout tracks include first single “Higher” and “(Not The One To) Blame,” both boasting catchy million-dollar choruses that will be stuck in your head for days. “The Wolf” opens with a greasy, blues-tinged intro that settles into a chord progression that sounds like the best song AC/DC never wrote. And the mid-tempo album closer “Hell On Wheels” evokes imagery of a slow-rolling motorcycle gang cruising the streets before shifting into high gear and breakneck speeds, finally easing to a stop at its final destination.

Sonically, It Might Get Loud is a great-sounding album. The mix is clean and bright, with excellent separation that allows each instrument and voice to be heard without ever getting muddy. But great production and great playing alone don’t necessarily make a great record — songs do, and that’s where Blackyard Riot shines. It’s hard to believe this is the band’s first album. If this is where Blackyard Riot starts, the future might get loud indeed.

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Blackyard Riot - It Might Get Loud

Released November 11, 2025

Dersim Tugal - lead vocals, lead guitar, backing vocals

Nico Keener - rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Patrik Apel - bass, backing vocals

Lars Lunova - drums, backing vocals

Guest vocals by Porty Portner

Music by Dersim Tugal, except “It Might Get Loud” by Dersim Tugal, Lars Lunova

Lyrics by Lars Lunova

Recorded and mixed by Dersim Tugal

Mastered by Daniel Keller, Studio 411 - Homburg, Saarland, Germany (https://www.danielbckeller.com, https://www.facebook.com/studio411creativelab)