By Jolee Flatman
Dutch quintet The Royal formed back in 2012 producing metal music that is certainly relentless. Previous releases include an EP, two albums and a single. Upcoming album ‘Deathwatch’ is for sure an interesting one, consisting of ten songs altogether: parts of it I really dig, others however aren’t for me. For fans of Upon A Burning Body, Shields and Currents.
It’s common for bands to release a single prior to a debut release, however The Royal released three tracks, which is brilliant for their existing fanbase. These include ‘State Of Dominance’, ‘Nine For Hell’ and album title track ‘Deathwatch’. All three of these singles are packed with aggression and exceptional energy. Unfortunately, the rest of the album did not match this gold standard. Don’t get me wrong, the album is of high quality and many aspects I enjoyed. Although, it appears to me that the band released the best few tracks off the new release and the others fall short of these expectations created.
Many tracks on the album become hard to distinguish between, with very similar riffs and song structures, which made an initial listen tedious.
The first few tracks, including ‘Pariah’ and ‘Savages’ are incredibly similar in terms of the first half. Most songs on the album only differentiate from the second half onwards. I was very pleased to hear a change in tone and atmosphere when eighth track ‘Lone Wolf’ kicked in with ambient atmospheric music. However, the following track ‘Avalon’ started up with a similar high-pitched electronic sound – undermining the uniqueness of the previous song. Furthermore, the electronic sound on ‘Avalon’ didn’t fit the metalcore vibe, it seemed very out of place and became irritating very quickly. Ignoring this one aspect, the song has high potential – with filthy low vocals and an intense breakdown.
The lyrical merit of every song deserves credit for sure. Tracks such as ‘State of Dominance’ particularly convey vocalist Sam Pisarahu’s emotional struggle. Lyrics such as ‘quicksand, stuck in your brain, you’re nothing but a slave’ reflect strong political ideologies. It could connote that the formal agents in society – particularly the state, have led the population into an environment that appears safe on face value but consumes and mauls them with one wrong step, spitting out brainwashing methods that will dupe individuals into becoming a conformist flock of sheep.
Overall, the album combines many different elements – which does create a unique sound. However, not everything works and thus some tracks become messy. It appears to me it may be the type of album that grows on you the more you play it.
- ‘Deathwatch’ is released on 8 March. You can get you’re your copy HERE.
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