I want to say that it’s not my fault that I haven’t been listening to a lot of music that I typically like recently, because it’s not. It’s not my fault that K-Pop groups release new music every four to six months, and bands that I like take between two and five years! Case in point, after about three years, Royal Blood is back with their latest album, Dead Company.
Let me just start off by saying that Royal Blood has never missed, and that streak continues with their fifth album. Overall, I would say that this album sounds the most like their debut album, but it still manages to stand on its own in many ways. I mean, after twelve years, Dead Company can still sound sonically similar, but ultimately more mature in its delivery. That is the case here, so for those who couldn’t find anything to like with the incredible releases of Typhoons and Back to the Water Below, this one’s for you.
Dead Company hits you with four back-to-back bangers, starting with the title track. It’s such a great song to suck you into the rest of the album. It’s fast-paced and perhaps the most reminiscent of their roots. No experimentation here, just the bass and the drums coming at you full force. “Swallow the Bomb” is an excellent follow-up to the opener giving something a bit different with a sound that sounds a little more stripped back in the verses, but still managing to sound really cool. I was a big fan of the rhythm the bass created at the start of the song, too. “Ten Over Ten” was the best single they could have led with to draw longtime fans in. It sounds like it could have come straight off of their first album and it was just kind of perfect. For all of my praise of those first three songs, “Mother Never Told You” is easily the best song on the album. It positively SLAPS. The vocal tone in the verses is awesome, and the intro is just amazing.
I didn’t realize it until “Nowhere All Along,” but this is the first song on the album to feature any harmonizing vocals from back-up singers. The other songs play with effects on Matt’s vocals to really fill it out, but it was nice to hear some proper back-up vocals here. I like that they aren’t over-used on the album as a whole, but they really lend themselves to the build up of the chorus. Something about how the bass sounded in the chorus reminded me of FOALS, so obviously I was a fan, but the fade out at the end was the real cherry on top. I don’t think they’ve ever done that on a song before. Other cool choices they made on the album was the line delivery of “lies, lies, lies, lies” in “Rearview Mirror,” as well as the bridge in ‘Take Em All,” where it really slows down and quiets.
While all of the songs on the album are solid, “Ride,” “Tapping Out,” and the closing track “The Closer” didn’t do a whole lot for me. At least from a memorable standpoint. Like I said, they were all solid and sounded good, but there wasn’t a moment that really gripped me in any of them. With that being said, I’m sure the more rotations I give this album there will be no skips. I’m so glad to have Royal Blood back, I just only wish their recemtly announced North American tour would have had a stop nearer to me! Here’s hoping it’s just the first leg.