Album Review: Royal Blood- Royal Blood

Earlier this year when I heard Royal Blood, I was taken aback. To me there was something about their music that had been missing in rock music. When people asked me what they sounded like I would say, imagine if The Black Keys didn’t suck and Muse didn’t start to whimp out. After seeing them live my description lived up to my words. Now in August, Royal Blood is unleashing their debut full length. Simply self titled, the 10 songs blaze a path in the 32 minutes of the album. Three of the songs (Out Of The Black, Come On Over and Little Monster) are from their Out OF The Black EP. The other 7 songs are a mix of heavy rock with lots of melody, and the occasional experimentation with blues, and mid tempo beats. The first single “Figure It Out” is a pure groove rock song. Closing song “Better Strangers” features a really cool bluesy feel with a slow laid back beat.  My favorite of the new songs is “Blood Hands.” This song is the perfect blend of heavy and subtle. It really shows their ability to craft a well written song. Mike Kerr (Vocals/Bass) and Ben Thatcher (Drums) have created a sound that is blistering with melody and heaviness all the while providing a great groove and feel for the listener. Royal Blood is primed to invade with great rock n roll. 

http://royalbloodband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBloodUK

 

By: Brian Lacy

Best Albums of 2014…So Far

In no particular order (wait till the end of the year for that). These are the best albums I’ve heard all year!

1. Mastodon- Once More Round The Sun
2. Every Time I Die- From Parts Unknown
3. Chevelle- La Gargola
4. Seether- Isolate and Medicate
5. Sevendust- Time Travelers and Bonfires
6. Crosses- Crosses
7. Royal Blood- Out Of The Black EP
8. Against Me- Transgender Dysphoria Blues
9. And We Are Them- Align
10. Wild Throne- Blood Maker
11. New Cathedral- Ghost
12. Machines Learning- Machines Learning
13. He Whose Ox Is Gored- Nightshade EP
14. With Our Arms To The Sun- A Far Away Wonder
15. Black Map- Driver EP
16. Royal Blood- Royal Blood
17. The Last Internationale- We Will Reign
18. Wovenwar- Wovenwar
19. And We Are Them- City Of Ghosts
20. Obliterations- Poison Everything
21. Black Map- And We Explode
22. Bush- Man On The Run
23. Slipknot- .5 The Gray Chapter
24. Aeges- Above and Down Below

Live Review: Royal Blood and The Last Internationale at the Roxy

 

Rock N Roll was in full effect last night as two very talked about bands took the stage at the Roxy, England’s Royal Blood, and former Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk’s new band The Last Internationale.

Kicking the evening off was The Last Internationale. This female fronted three piece takes their love of 70’s rock and adds thought provoking lyrics that deal with more social issues. Singer/bassist Delilia Paz has a voice that is reminiscent of a cross between Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane singer Grace Slick. The dirty distorted bass lines that come from her side of the stage are commanding. Guitarist Edgey Pires plays with a more bluesy soulful approach that is lost amongst most guitarists today. Brad Wilk still has one of the tightest drum sounds around. His energy behind the kit is very noticeable. Their upcoming debut which was produced by Brendan O’Brien will be out in the next couple months.

Royal Blood is on the cusp of breaking out. This two piece band has more guts and gusto than other two pieces like The Black Keys and The White Stripes. Their music is loud, melodic and heavy. Vocally and lyrically they are steps ahead of those other bands mentioned. Starting their set with the song “Hole,” got the crowd into a frenzy of head bopping and dancing. “Come On Over” has a very Muse inspired riff all the while, a sort of sexy vibe to it. Newer songs from their upcoming full length sounded great, if not better than the songs already released. Closing out their set was their hit “Out Of The Black.” The crowd erupted when the drums for the song started. The more harder tinged songs really got the crowd worked up. My friend and I were left stunned by how good they were live. Having only released an EP so far, the people in the crowd knew all the words to those four songs.

The Last Internationale are a terrific band and put on a great live show as well. I’ve said it before and I stand by it Royal Blood is what The Black Keys would sound like if they had balls!

 

The Last Internationale: https://www.facebook.com/thelastinternationale

Album Sampler:

Live From Austin:

 

Royal Blood: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalBloodUK

Come On Over:

Figure It Out:

 

By: Brian Lacy

On The Cusp: Royal Blood

Have you ever wondered what The Black Keys would sound like if they actually had balls? Well you are in luck, here comes Royal Blood. Hailing from the UK, this dynamic duo of Michael Kerr (Vocals/Bass) and Ben Thatcher (Drums), have a great deal of energy and the chops to boot. They have already released an EP entitled Out Of The Black and are wrapping up work on their debut album.

Out Of The Black:

Little Monster:

 

By: Brian Lacy