"Out of the Black" is a song by the English hard rock duo Royal Blood. Written by both members, it was released as their debut single on 22 November 13 through their independent label, Black Mammoth. They signed with Warner Bros. Records soon after, who rereleased the song in 2014; first on their debut extended play, Out of the Black, and then on their first full-length album, Royal Blood.
"Out of the Black" received a music video in 2015 to coincide with its appearance on the soundtrack to the film Who Am I. It also served as the official theme song for the 2016 professional wrestling event WWE Roadblock.
Music video A music video for the song was released on 6 February 2015. It was directed by David Wilson and Christy Karacas and mixes live-action footage with animation. In the video, a robber wearing a bunny costume steals various confectionaries from a petrol station, including a chocolate bar directly from the station's attendant. When the police respond, the robber is revealed to be an alien and, along with other aliens in costumes, massacres a team of men in black who arrive on the scene. The aliens, however, are subsequently slaughtered in a fight with the attendant, who kills the alien in the bunny costume last and takes back his chocolate bar.
Critical reception Scott Kerr of AllMusic, no relation to the band's frontman Mike Kerr, called the song "a riff-fueled onslaught that belies their two-piece status; with just a heavily processed bass guitar and a drum set between them, they make some four-piece rock bands look inconsequential". DIY editor Stephen Ackroyd repeated what Kerr said, calling the song "an incendiary calling card - a roaring, snarling Godzilla levelling skyscrapers at will".
Track listing
Personnel Partly adapted from Out of the Black liner notes.
Royal Blood Mike Kerr – lead vocals, bass guitar Ben Thatcher – drums
Technical personnel Tom Dalgety – producer, mixing (track 1), recording John Davis – mastering Alan Moulder – mixing (track 2)
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Out of the Black" Chart (2013–15) Peakposition Australia Hitseekers (ARIA)18 Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard) 41
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Out of the Black" Chart (2014) Position US Rock Airplay (Billboard) 40
Certifications
Release history Region Date Format Label Catalogue no. United Kingdom 11 November 2013 7" vinyl Black Mammoth BMR001 United States 18 March 2014 Modern rock radio Warner Bros.
References
External links
Royal Blood official website