Royal Blood: Dead Company
Royal Blood have never been a band short on confidence. But in 2023, that confidence threatened to become their undoing. During a now-infamous appearance at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Dundee, frontman Mike Kerr took aim at an unenthusiastic crowd, sarcastically questioned whether anyone liked rock music and eventually departed the stage with both middle fingers raised. The incident quickly went viral, turning the duo into unlikely villains just months before the release of their fourth album, 'Back To The Water Below'.
For a band whose success had been built on thunderous riffs, effortless swagger and an almost arrogant sense of self-belief, the backlash was an uncomfortable reminder that there's a fine line between rock-star attitude and rock-star entitlement. 'Back To The Water Below' arrived under that cloud, offering a more expansive, occasionally restrained sound that demonstrated the band's willingness to venture beyond their familiar formula. Yet for all its ambition, something of the primal excitement that made Royal Blood so irresistible in the first place felt missing.
Three years later, Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher have returned. And anyone expecting a humbled duo extending an olive branch will be sorely disappointed.
Royal Blood haven't come back with an apology. They've come back with a warning.
That warning first arrived in the shape of 'Ten Over Ten', a snarling, adrenaline-fuelled statement of intent that promised a heavier, more confrontational direction. Driven by Thatcher's relentless drumming and Kerr's heavily distorted bass, the track charges forward with the reckless momentum of Motörhead at full throttle. Kerr's declaration of "Everything or nothing" feels less like a throwaway lyric and more like the philosophy behind the entire record, and 'Dead Company' delivers on that promise.
Self-produced by the band, the album abandons much of the polish and experimentation that characterised their recent work, returning to the raw, visceral chemistry that made their 2014 debut such a revelation. Kerr's bass sounds positively monstrous, switching between filthy, fuzz-soaked grooves and serrated riffs, while Thatcher attacks his kit with the precision and aggression of a man determined to leave nothing standing.
The opening title track, 'Dead Company', wastes little time establishing the record's intentions. Frantic, abrasive and gloriously excessive, it is a reminder of just how much noise two musicians can make when everything locks into place. 'Swallow The Bomb', the first song written for the album, pushes that aggression further, its punkish urgency suggesting that Kerr and Thatcher have rediscovered the excitement of playing together without worrying about expectations. Meanwhile, 'Mother Never Told You' combines the duo's trademark heaviness with an enormous, instantly memorable chorus.
But the record's greatest strength isn't simply its determination to turn everything up to eleven. 'Rear View Mirror' is among its finest moments, demonstrating the extraordinary understanding between Kerr and Thatcher. The interplay between the distorted bass and thunderous percussion is almost mechanical in its precision, yet there's something wonderfully instinctive about the way the two instruments respond to one another. 'Tapping Out' brings a swaggering, almost boogie-like rhythm to proceedings, recalling the infectious grooves that have always separated Royal Blood from more conventional hard-rock bands.
Elsewhere, 'Take 'Em All' provides a welcome change of pace. Its slower, more deliberate rhythm introduces a darker atmosphere, allowing the music to build tension rather than relying on another relentless barrage of riffs. It's a reminder that Royal Blood can be every bit as imposing when they hold something back.
That understanding carries through to 'The Closer', which brings the album to a particularly satisfying conclusion. Rather than ending with another immediate explosion, the track gradually develops into an extended instrumental passage, allowing Kerr and Thatcher to stretch out and demonstrate the chemistry that has remained at the heart of their music for more than a decade.
'Dead Company' isn't without its shortcomings. At times, its relentless aggression leaves individual songs fighting for their own identity, while Kerr's vocals occasionally struggle to emerge from beneath the sheer weight of the instrumentation. Those expecting another significant reinvention may also find the return to familiar territory a little too comfortable. Yet perhaps reinvention was never the point.
Where 'Typhoons' embraced dance-rock grooves and 'Back To The Water Below' explored a broader sonic palette, 'Dead Company' feels like two musicians rediscovering what made their partnership so exciting in the first place. There's a rawness and spontaneity to these recordings that has occasionally been missing from their more recent work, with the self-production allowing the interaction between bass and drums to take centre stage.
The controversy of 2023 may have damaged their reputation, but 'Dead Company' makes one thing abundantly clear: Kerr and Thatcher aren't particularly interested in winning everyone over. They're interested in reminding us exactly what Royal Blood do best.
Louder, faster, heavier and with absolutely no intention of behaving themselves, 'Dead Company' is the sound of a band rediscovering its fire. Royal Blood aren't asking for forgiveness, nor are they seeking permission to make this much noise again. They're reminding everyone that they never needed it.