Review: Revenant – Black Dogs And Sad Men EP
Self-Release (October 10th, 2025)
Reviewer – Paul Dubbelman
Revenant have released their latest, self-produced, 5-track EP ‘Black Dogs And Sad Men‘. The band, formed in 2023 by “Sugarman” Sam Lay on Guiter and Vocals with Matt Hudson on Guitars, Robin Nuttley on Bass and Carl Donaghue on Drums, are firmly rooted in the Southern Rock genre but throw in the odd surprise to keep things interesting.
‘Black Dogs And Sad Men‘ maintains the energy and drive that is present in their earlier releases – ‘Best Medicine‘ (review here), ‘What a Time to be Alive‘, and their cleverly-titled live album ‘What a Time To Be Live‘ – but seem to have added a certain swagger and confidence to the mix for the new EP. The Band’s lyrics are very much focussed towards life, love and loss, with mental health challenges being to the fore in the writing, but all wrapped up in a driving, hard-rocking soundscape that gives the songs a positivity and an upbeat feeling, almost saying you’re not alone in this, an important message to anyone that is struggling. Similar to the format of ‘Best Medicine‘, ‘Black Dogs And Sad Men‘ features four full-on rockers and a softer, more thoughtful ballad to calm it all down after all that excitement.
‘Black Dogs And Sad Men‘ opens with an absolute banger in ‘Lie You’re Living‘, about those fakers and shamsters that we all come across in life. The urgent guitar riff and pounding drums evolves into a classic 70s style rocker with hints of ZZ Top included.
Title track ‘Black Dogs And Sad Men‘ is another heavy rocker, the hard driving rhythm and riff develop into a series of rapid-fire staccato drumbeats from Carl D, mirrored by Matt’s guitar, that builds a sense of great urgency before Matt launches into a powerful, emotion-fuelled solo.
‘I’ll Be There‘ keeps the pace and energy up, A superbly strong track with every band member driving the beat while Sam‘s voice soars over the top, like a hand reaching out to the listener. There is simply so much going on in this track to be enjoyed again and again.
‘Sex With No Substance‘ will have heads banging for sure, shades of ZZ Top and AC/DC but with very much a Revenant stamp on it, witty lyrics and an anthemic chorus with a scorching solo, this is a song that will have you smiling while bangin’ your head.
After all that hard rocking, it is quite nice to have a bit of a breather, and that rest comes in the form of ‘All We Need‘. An emotional ballad that allows Sam’s voice to shine through over the acoustic guitar and strings arrangement.
Track Listing:
- Lie You’re living
- Black dogs and Sad Men
- I’ll Be There
- Sex with No Substance
- All We Need
Line-up:
Sam Lay – Guitars, vocals
Matthew Hudson – Guitars
Robin Nuttley – Bass
Carl Donoghue – Drums
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