Recently interviewed band The Royal has released their new album Dreamcatchers; a progressive sound with visceral lyrics featuring vocalists Shawn Spann from I The Breather and Ryan Kirby of Fit For A King.
Since forming two years ago, The Royal has played festivals alongside Asking Alexandria, Parkway Drive, The Ghost Inside and A Day To Remember and has built themselves a global fanbase to whom albums and merch are sold internationally.
Their new album doesn’t differ much from their Origins or Blind Eye EP’s. Instead, they seem to have extended their talent, with raw, powerful layers of guitar over a strong, guttural voice belonging to lead singer Semuel, a brutal looking guy whose screaming voice can be considered akin to Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire . Their EP Origins was released in 2012, but the band clearly haven’t changed their sound in the last two years. Not a bad thing! Their songs are what true metalcore fans can agree are brutal as needed; however, the album runs risk of becoming stale; hardcore and awesome can’t save repetitive and overplayed.
Blind Eye, which was released last year, is fast and fierce, and shares a similar intensity with their eighth track “Lilith” of Dreamcathers. It is a well performed song about a man’s inner demons, and both songs share the aim of not giving up in the face of adversity; a cliché subject they’ve managed to spin into excellent and carnal sounding lyrics.
Ryan Kirby (Fit For A King) sings with The Royal in the song “Earth Gazer” and completely kills it. His voice is deep, strong and sounds perfect alongside fierce instrumentals. Possibly the best song on the album however, is “Spirit Walker”, an easy judgment based more on the creative and connecting lyrics than the exceptional instrumentals in the song.
The Royal – Dreamcatchers
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One beautifully conducted track stands out amongst the rest: “Haven”. It stands as a prelude, symphonic and relaxing in comparison to power heavy tracks like “Mad Deuce”, the most brutal of the album. None of these powerful songs have a heavy bass sound, but nonetheless carry a flowing, symphonic sound throughout.
The title song, “Dreamcatchers” is the kind of track to punch you right in the eardrum, and easily the best song this band has created.
I highly recommend listeners who like raw, brutal songs check out this album. A European tour is rumored and this is definitely a band you will want to see
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by Cynthia Howarth, RockRevolt Magazine Contributor
