Review Summary: How did we get so tame?
When I reviewed
Royal Blood 3 years ago, I was deeply enamored by a duo that took several elements of my favorite artists and was able to chop, grind, and blend them together in bombastic fashion. Clearly I was not the only one either, as the previously-unknown group went straight to the top of just about every chart they were tracked on.
So, what has happened in 3 years? The group themselves have lamented about the struggles of dealing with becoming a global near-overnight success and the pressures that come with it when writing a follow up album -- with big success comes bigger budgets, and bigger budgets mean even bigger production. Unfortunately for the duo, the production on
How Did We Get So Dark? has sucked almost all the life of their songwriting. The raw aggression of the debut album has been traded for a smoother, more alt-rock sound that slides nicely down the ear canal, and as a result doesn’t engage the listener in the same way. Sadly, we also see the loss of some of the more creative songwriting, like the tempo change in “Loose Change” or the intro to “Out of the Black”,
Royal Blood used a lot of these creative or surprise elements to keep the album fresh and interesting through its runtime.
While it seems like I have little good to say about
Dark, this is quite far from the truth. Despite my disappointment with the overwrought production, there are still a number of tracks that make this a good album, and there's not really anything inherently
bad here. “Hook Line & Sinker” and “Hole In Your Heart” are absolute bangers, and “Where Are You Now” sounds like a B-side from the debut album (this is actually a compliment). While I personally dislike the use of group vocals/overdubs used in various songs, “Lights Out” and “I Only Lie…” are still catchy tunes. The album’s closer, “Sleep”, is a slow-burner with a great riff that finally mixes up the tone and tempo a bit.
How Did We Get So Dark? is by no means a radical departure from the group’s debut, but the refinement and polish is an unwelcome addition to the group’s sound, rawness and grit was a big part of what made the self-titled album so engaging to listen to.
Dark pushes further towards radio-friendly, and no longer demands that you crank the volume.
