Royal Blood (Royal Blood) | 4/5

SINGAPORE - Royal Blood is a British hard rock band comprising bassist/singer Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher. The Brighton power duo’s self-titled debut drags heavy-riffing rock out of ghetto and bridges the gap between hard rock and digestible pop/rock. This album has received to a lot of hype - they were nominated for the BBC’S Sound Of 2014 - and may well be a game-changer for the sleepy genre of rock ‘n’ roll these days. You know you’re in for a white-knuckle ride when the very first bar their opening song, Out Of The Black, starts playing with a choppy instrumentation before launching into explosive riffs. Ten Tonne Skeleton is a plea to failed love with infectiously rhythmic undertones, while Little Monster and Come On Over illustrate their natural ability for well-crafted structures and melodies. The album doesn’t disappoint - it’s all killer, no filler from start to finish.