REVIEW: The Royal – Seven (Album)

Every so often a band will come along that completely captures your attention The Royal is definitely one of those bands. They recently signed to Long Branch records and released their second full length album ” Seven “. Hailing from the Netherlands this 5 piece are a powerhouse of metalcore bringing a fresh sound and style to their music.

Following on from the success of their first album “ Dreamcatchers ” which was one of our favorite albums of 2014. The Royal have stepped up their game with their latest release ” Seven ” bringing you eleven tracks of no holds barred metal. With the production on the album being nothing short of outstanding. Gritty vocals, slamming guitars and powerful breakdowns, these elements combined give an ensemble of a band that give their all with their passion bursting from the seams of each track.

First track ” Thunder ” opens of to a cacophony of palm muted riffing before exploding into the main theme of the song filled with venomous lyrics that strike in Sem Pisarahu‘s aggressive deliverance that makes you want to scream along with him. Continuing on ” Feeding Wolves ” is one of the heaviest tracks on the album guaranteed to open pits up at any show following guitar duo JD Liefting and Pim Wesselink tasty heavy riffage and melodic leads, add to this bassist Loet Brinkmans and drummer Tom van Ekerschot talents you have a force to be reckoned with. The band have also released videos for the tracks ” Wildmind ” and ” Counterculture ” with ” Wildmind ” being one of the strongest tracks on the album, with a melody that will get stuck in your head for days accompanied by yet more in your face vocals that leap up and grab you.  Our favourite song is ” Seven ” with a Volumes style intro and kick in before destroying everything in its path with blistering impact, killer riffs and epic solo. Ending the album on ” Viridian ” with its eerie intro that builds up into a catchy, headbanging track filled with punch and gang vocals.

If August Burns Red, While She Sleeps and Lamb God had a baby it would be The Royal. Whilst they certainly take influence and inspiration from bands dominant in this genre, they take all the best ingredients and bake them up into their own flavour of metal goodness that is unique yet familiar. Every track on the album holds its own and stands out, if you are into metal do not miss out on this album it’s a must have in your collection. ” Seven ” is available now and you can catch The Royal touring Europe and hitting this years Tech Fest in the U.K.