Royal Blood – ‘Back To The Water Below’

When Royal Blood released their breakthrough debut LP in 2014, it was greeted as one of the more impactful rock records to arrive that year. With its ferocious nature and killer hooks layered throughout, the duo quickly cemented themselves as one of the more exciting names on the UK’s fledgling rock scene. But with their follow-up releases ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ and ‘Typhoons’ not quite living up to the hype of that original offering, they are looking to get back to their best as they deliver their fourth full-length ‘Back To The Water Below’, a record brimming with explosive energy once again.

For those that have followed their work to date, ‘Back To The Water Below’ instantly sounds like the band they first emerged as. While their material in recent years has had this glossy and refined feel to it, this new collection brings back more of that raw and raucous nature they first emerged with. Bustling with driven grooves, powerful riffs and a progressive nature at its heart, Royal Blood sound far more assured and confident on this release, something that has been lacking recently.

While it is no doubt a step back to those formative years, ‘Back To The Water Below’ still needs those sheer and uncompromising anthems they were once known for. A strong and vibrant return that could have done with a touch more tenacity to really bring it to life.