Royal Blood by Royal Blood
You ever have a record just completely halt everything you’re doing in your life? The type of album that says, “Hey, nothing in this world matters right now than THIS.”
In this decade, that record was the 2014 album titled Royal Blood, from the Brighton, England duo of the same name.
In 2014, fans of alternative had a lot to celebrate.The roster of any major music festival was littered with the heroes and up-and-comers within the scene. And while country, hip-hop and pop might dominated the charts more and more bands from the world of alternative are finding their way onto the pop airwaves and mainstream media.
Yet, there was something missing. And that something was snarling, gritty edge. The alt scene’s synth-fueled ascension did land them on mainstream, because frankly, they were creating mainstream pop tunes. This was not unlike the ’80s when New Wave dominated the airwaves, punk rock snarled its way into the hearts of so many. While grunge was mainstream there was still an edge, fierce guitar work, growling vocals. Where’s that in 2014’s scene?
Check out Bill Bodkin’s interview with Royal Blood from 2014.
Royal Blood was the answer. The duo was the answer to those who yearned for a successor to the hard edged alt rock of Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. The band’s groove-heavy, unrelenting ferocity of bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher helped created a sonic masterwork. Kerr’s vocals evoked sonic imagery of Zeppelin, Sabbath, Muse, and Alice in Chains meshed into one bombastic package.
The record would churn out some of the best hard-edged alt rock of the decade with the undeniable anthem “Out of the Black” (which has been in a plethora of film and TV trailers) as well as “Little Monster,” “Come on Over,” and “Figure It Out.” And despite being six years old, these songs have not collected a speck of nostalgia and antiquity to them. These songs rip.
While, the band’s follow-up record in 2017 How Did We Get So Dark?, failed to sustain the mountain of hype and hoopla around the band, nothing can touch Royal Blood’s debut record. It’s chef’s kiss perfection.
-Bill Bodkin
This concludes our list of Best Albums of the Decade. Obviously this is a short list, so let us know what YOU think is the best albums of the decade in the comments.
