The Royal are a five-piece from Amsterdam who have supported Architects and yearn for “the golden era of metalcore”; a time when early Trivium, August Burns Red and Parkway Drive walked the Earth. As a result, Seven, the follow-up to their pummelling 2014 debut Dreamcatchers, sees them attempting to recreate that mid-00s spark. You can hear the influence of Parkway Drive’s Horizons rippling through the meaty breakdowns and clean, melodic guitar leads of Thunder, but approaching a record with such a mindset means that The Royal are immediately working to a well-trodden formula. There’s interesting asides in the djent-tinged riffs of the title track and the way Creeds And The Vultures plays around with acoustic guitar and handclaps, suddenly changing pace in the track’s final moments, but what really piques the interest is the way the band balance savage riffery with earworm melodies and bright, spiralling guitar work, especially on Feeding Wolves and lead single Wildmind.
This is a familiar sound but Seven is an enjoyable listen from a new band full of potential.
