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- Critic score
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- By date
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Kerrang!Sep 16, 2014At it's best, it's a thing of beauty. But if the duo's choruses set the gold standard, it's the riffs that are worth their weight in platinum. [23 Aug 2014, p.54]
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Classic Rock MagazineDec 18, 2014It never lags. [Sep 2014, p.95]
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Aug 26, 2014A tight bind of rhythm and noise, of chugging menace and sudden spikes.
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Sep 8, 2014With barely a weak song in sight, the Brighton duo have delivered a collection of tracks of taut, visceral quality.
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Sep 3, 2014Every track is excellent, ruthless, relentless.
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Q MagazineAug 28, 2014The thrilling racket of their live show has been sanded down but not blunted. [Sep 2014, p.110]
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Aug 25, 2014There is little time for respite during their breezy debut album that bridges the gap between heavy-hitting rock and digestible pop/rock.
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Aug 21, 2014Even with a debut album, their ascent has been so steep the opening salvo feels like a premature greatest hits.
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Aug 21, 2014There's light, shade and careful nuance throughout.
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Sep 23, 2014There’s heft and muscle to these songs (or, yes, “song”) and the album is a good taster for what these guys must sound like live.
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MojoSep 12, 2014There are moments where the duo sounds unfortunately like Muse. Yet for the largest part, this collection of tightly wound, riff-oriented rock makes for an exciting debut. [Oct 2014, p.90]
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Aug 21, 2014Peel back the early 00s rock (the Vines, Death from Above, riffs that lurch like Jack White drunk at a saloon bar) and there are quavering vocals that add texture to their stodgy sound, too.
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Aug 21, 2014Royal Blood’s debut is an easily digestible, unfortunately thin-sounding, slightly disappointing rock record and an exciting, fresh, invigorating pop record both at the same time.
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Aug 21, 2014Direct and austere, there is little fat here.
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Sep 16, 2014It’s the pro-forma songwriting that transpires between those brontosaurus blasts that ultimately proves problematic. By using their muscular might to prop up otherwise featherweight tunes, Royal Blood have effectively built themselves a castle and furnished it with IKEA.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 138 out of 148
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Mixed: 6 out of 148
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Negative: 4 out of 148
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Aug 30, 2014
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Nov 24, 2014
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Sep 16, 2014