Veteran rock band Royal Bliss returned Friday with its new album, Survival, almost four years after the release of the band’s self-titled album. The 12-song record is a presentation that will appeal to the most devoted of the band’s audiences and to most mainstream rock fans. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content also make for a certain level of engagement and entertainment. They will be discussed shortly. The sequencing of the album’s overall content rounds out the record’s overall presentation and brings everything full circle. It will also be examined later. Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make Royal Bliss’ new album a sleeper hit among this year’s field of new rock albums.
Survival, the new album from Royal Bliss, is a presentation that will appeal to a wide range of audiences. That range of listeners includes the most devoted of the band’s audiences and mainstream rock fans in general. The musical arrangements that are featured throughout the record play partially into that appeal. From the beginning to end of the 39-minute record, the arrangements take the band (and in turn listeners) in a variety of directions in terms of sound and style. The whole thing opens with a contemplative, melodic hard rock composition in ‘We Rise’ before things pick up even more in its follow-up, ‘Black Rhino,’ which is one of the album’s singles. The high-energy rocker is just as much a fit on any active rock radio station’s current playlist as the record’s opener and so many of the album’s other entries. The blues-rock sound and style of ‘Medication,’ which fills in the album’s third spot, is another change of pace that is just as welcome. The band turns things in a more contemplative but still somewhat fiery direction in the album’s very next song, ‘Goodbye Love Song’ before using ‘Never’ to really noticeably change things up even more just before the record’s midpoint. Speaking of that midpoint, ‘Full Moon Rising,’ it changes things once more with a sound and style that takes audiences back to the mainstream rock sounds of the mid to late 90s. The changes do not stop there, either. Rather they continue on through the album’s second half, keeping things interesting enough to keep audiences engaged and entertained right to the album’s closing bars. Simply put, the arrangements that are presented throughout Survival are reason enough for audiences to take in this record. That is because of their constant variety.
The musical arrangements featured throughout the album are just a portion of what makes the record engaging and entertaining. The lyrical themes that are presented throughout the record are appealing in their own way. That is because of their own diversity. While there is clearly diversity in the lyrical themes, much of the record’s lyrical body is composed of songs about pushing on through life’s adversity. That would explain the album’s title. From the fiery opener, ‘We Rise,’ which is a call to unity against certain powers that be to ‘Black Rhino,’ which encourages listeners to make the most of every day and not let negative forces hold us back, to a similar message later in the album in ‘Burn It Down’ and so much more, such as the Creed-esque modern rock ballad that is ‘Chasing Stars,’ the overall lyrical theme featured in Survival is just that; a theme of perseverance and overcoming those negative influences in life, whether external or internal.
Of course, there are other themes here, including the socio-politically charged songs, ‘Medication’ and Ritalin’ and songs about broken relationships in ‘Goodbye Love Song’ and ‘Never.’ ‘Medication’ is a rumination on how the world has become increasingly reliant on medication. It is a powerfully relevant song, as the majority of advertisements on television prove. ‘Ritalin’ is somewhat in the same vein as ‘Medication,’ except it uses the subject of medication as the basis for a bigger social discussion. In this case, the commentary is that of how the powers that be are more focused on keeping people medicated and controlled through that medication than focusing on all of the problems in the world. It is a hard-hitting commentary that thankfully is not as preachy as in the case with so many other acts out there. To that end, the themes here actually do focus on the theme of survival by commenting on how the powers that be are really working to prevent the world from surviving. It is another example of the power of the album’s lyrical content. When the overall lyrical content is considered along with the album’s musical content, the whole therein makes the overall content reason enough in itself to take in Survival.
As much as the content featured in Survival does to make the album worth hearing, the sequencing of that collective content does its own share to make the album engaging and entertaining, too. That is because of the positive general effect that results from the sequencing. As already noted, the sounds and styles featured in the musical arrangements changes from one to the next from the album’s opening to its finale. Even as the sounds and styles change from song to song, the record’s energy manages to remain stable throughout the album. This ensures so much engagement and entertainment for any listener. The same applies in regard to the album’s lyrical themes. Even as they each follow one overarching lyrical theme, the various themes in here are certain to resonate with listeners as they change from one topic to the next, most of which focus on emotional survival. When the positive effect of the clearly thought out sequencing is considered along with the overall content featured in Survival, the whole leaves the album a strong new offering from the band that will hold its own against other rock albums released this year.
Survival, the latest album from Royal Bliss, is a positive new offering from the veteran rock band. That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements featured throughout the album offer a diverse range of sounds and styles. From a familiar rock ballad style work in one song to familiar guitar rock style songs in other works, to something even heavier in others, the album’s overall musical content gives audiences plenty to appreciate. The lyrical themes featured in Survival are diverse in their own right from one song to the next, yet still follow the album’s overall central theme that is survival. That makes for even more interest for audiences. The sequencing of the overall content puts the finishing touch to the record, completing its presentation and making for that much more engagement and entertainment. Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of Survival. All things considered they make Survival a valid candidate for a spot among this year’s top new rock albums.
Survival is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of Royal Bliss’ new album at:
Website: https://royalbliss.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/royalbliss
Twitter: https://twitter.com/royalbliss
