REVIEW: The Royal – Origins EP

Artist: The Royal
Album: Origins EP
Genre: Metalcore/Melodic Hardcore
Label: (Unsigned)

Even for the Netherlands, a country with an esteemed history of producing excellent artists, this is quite the marvellous debut. The Royal are an up-and-coming five-piece from Arnhem and in Origins, their six-song debut EP, they make the most compelling argument for the preservation of the metalcore genre that I’ve heard in a long time. It may not be groundbreaking, or even all that distinctive in the general scheme of things, but it does display a passion and feverish commitment to the style and integrity of their sound and this sets it apart – particularly as a first album. The EP is populated by ruthless riffs and breakdowns but retains a kind of solemn perspective at its heart, lending it a quality and sobriety not often seen in the genre. Repeated listens help to coax its hidden strengths to the fore and it will prove more rewarding with time.

The first track, bearing the standard title “Intro,” is a short but effective introduction. It grows into itself brilliantly, evolving from a series of siren sounds and ominous threads into a menacing snarl of guitars. That initial refrain continues to play for the song’s duration, repeating resolutely and coldly until everything ends with a thunderclap. “Valor” maintains these atmospheric undertones but uses them in a markedly different way. Here, the shadowy reflection gives the song a kind of harried feel, akin to a haunting thought or conscience that persists amid the chugging mayhem of the other instruments. This too seems somewhat unremarkable at first but gradually pulls its various strands together and forms something a bit more emphatic. The guitars adopt a meaner, leaner stance that does much to improve its appeal, while the harmony gives it a sense of purpose and direction.

“Disarray” is heavier and darker, with more venom running through its veins. It exposes perhaps the only flaw in this album in that its sound and structure are fundamentally the same throughout and this heavy-handed approach keeps the song from ever really coming together. It’s far from a poor effort but in its keen reliance on what’s gone before, it suggests the band may not be willing to make too many leaps of faith just yet. Nonetheless, this is to be expected on a debut album, and for its brief running time it does provide some hidden surprises.

“Empire” is probably the best track on here. It makes hardly any sense and flips all over the place, but this in turn infuses the song with unpredictable and pervasive energy. The rhythm is good and the guitar work excellent. “Relentless” is really impressive. Its harmonies are majestically realised, pitching a defiant and emboldened air next to the heavier elements around them. “Origins,” the final track, actually struggles to make a case of its own following these two tracks but it is cutting and fierce and a worthy conclusion.

There’s certainly plenty packed into this EP for its twenty minutes. The Royal have found a sound that suits them and they execute it very well. Perhaps more than anything, the band have a very clear voice and are unafraid about showing it. This is something often painfully missing from this genre, and so long as they never lose the steady heart within these songs they ought to go far indeed.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by Grace Duffy

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