As with Royal Blood’s first two albums, ‘Back To The Water Below’ puts the chemistry of vocalist and bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher at the forefront of the music here […]
[…] very much a return to their core formula
Here’s a spicy take for you all: ‘Typhoons‘ was a great album.
Royal Blood are a band that seem to divide opinion. Since the duo exploded onto the scene with the endorsement of Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders in 2013, their fusion of blues rock, dance punk, and mainstream arena rock has taken them all over the globe, both headlining and supporting major names such as Muse. For some people, their music is repetitive and lacking in edge; a facsimile of ‘actual rock’. However, I find myself in the opposite camp; there is something so catchy and fun about a good portion of the band’s music that it’s hard not to find yourself grooving to it.
That came to a head with their third album, ‘Typhoons‘, which saw the band expanding their sound to incorporate elements of dance and disco to create a deeply infectious album from back to front. However, it was met with mixed reception, with many finding the pop elements uninspired and the sound too much of a diversion from what made the band originally so enjoyable; big riffs and big grooves. So it’s unsurprising that ‘Back To The Water Below‘ represents something of a return to roots for the band.
As with Royal Blood’s first two albums, ‘Back To The Water Below‘ puts the chemistry of vocalist and bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher at the forefront of the music here. Granted, the band clearly have taken some inspiration from their ‘Typhoons‘ era, with a liberal sprinkling of additional instrumentation, from pianos to synths, across a good amount of this album. But, as the album title even indicates, this is very much a return to their core formula.
And for many tracks, this works. The opener ‘Mountains at Midnight‘ brings a touch of indie sleeze in that verse guitar riff which gives the track a nice distinct vibe among the other heavy, fuzzy riffs; it may not be as strong as the other lead singles the band have put out, but a good album opener. ‘Shiner in the Dark‘ packs a great guitar melody throughout, with a huge distorted tone, and the chorus is marked with some gorgeous and bright synths; on top of that, Kerr’s vocals sound particularly great here, really showcasing a strong range and bluesy style that breathes extra character into the whole track.
With the dreamy instrumentation punctuated by shimmering piano melodies, there is almost something a little Foxy Shazam about ‘The Firing Line‘. It’s a very understated track, but pleasantly represents that aforementioned blend of both modern and early Royal Blood; a subtle touch of grandeur beneath the simple, punchy alt rock. ‘Tell Me When It’s Too Late‘, however, absolutely marks the highlight of the album for sure. From the complex yet swaggering percussion to the absolutely monstrous choruses that rival their material from their self-titled debut, this track captures what you get from Royal Blood at their very best
Yet, by the time you have breezed through the album’s short runtime, you can’t help but feel that… this is too much of a regression for the band. Whilst ‘Typhoons‘ definitely divided listeners, the almost Daft Punk approach to song-writing really had some potential in it, and it could have been fascinating to the see the band push their creative boundaries even further and see what else they could conjure up. With ‘Back To The Water Below‘, however, some of the tracks on here simply feel too unfinished, the product of a band that doesn’t quite know what direction they want to head in.
‘There Goes My Cool‘ and ‘Pull Me Through‘ are both slow burners with a heavier focus on the instrumentation, the latter packing heavy, lumbering pianos chords, but they both feel devoid of any killer energy; plenty of groove, but no punch. ‘High Waters‘ has a neat little guitar riff throughout, but at a brief runtime of 2:45, ends up feeling like the definition of a filler track. Whilst the closing track ‘Waves‘ is a decent send off, the album doesn’t end on a definitive enough of a note; the album arrives in a rush, does some cool stuff here and there, and then disappears as quickly as it came.
‘Back To The Water Below‘ is the definition of a ‘decently good’ album. It’s not an album that you’ll be thinking about for very long, and it stumbles just as much as it hits, but its not offensively bad in any real way; the low moments are a bit drab, but that’s what the skip button is for. For those who have missed the heavier side of Royal Blood, this album is sure to scratch that itch. But if you’re expecting much else from this album, then you probably are expecting just a little too much.
RATING: 69/100 – Mostly Good
For Fans Of: Queens Of The Stone Age, Death From Above 1979, Muse, Foo Fighters
Physical copies of the album are available here.
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