Royal Blood - How Did We Get So Dark? review: ‘This album will put them in the big league’

Royal Blood are back with a bang
New album: Royal Blood's How Did We Get So Dark?
Rick Pearson16 June 2017

When a band has a huge-selling debut, as Royal Blood did with their 2013 self-titled LP, they have a decision to make when it comes to album two: stick closely to the formula at the risk of sounding limited, or go off-piste at the risk of alienating the fanbase. Here the Brighton duo go for option one.

So that means rifftastic bass guitar from Mike Kerr, bludgeoning beats from Ben Thatcher and huge, catch-all choruses.

If it’s inevitably a little less exciting the second time around, it still has the capacity to thrill. Lights Out is a bass-and-drums workout of epic proportions, while She’s Creeping sees Mike Kerr offer falsetto vocals over a slinky riff.

They don’t rock with the same intensity as Led Zepellin or soar to the heights of Muse but Royal Blood are back with a bang — and this album will put them in the big league.

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1/168

(Warner Bros)

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