ALBUM REVIEW: Black / Red – Feeder
Welsh Icons FEEDER are back. Black / Red is the 12th album from the band and it’s one hell of an album to come back into the public zeitgeist with. With what is their 12th album, FEEDER have taken on the tricky task of releasing a double album, the second double album release in as many weeks after SUM 41’s final double album offering. Always a tricky task, many bands over the years have attempted this and have ultimately fallen short of not having enough killer to combat the filler. FEEDER however have managed to produce an odyssey of 18 songs that take us on a riff laden journey of anthems that rarely outstay their welcome, completing a trilogy that began with 2022’s; Torpedo.
From the off, the journey that is Black / Red starts at 100mph and very rarely takes a moment to take its foot off the gas. ELF aims big by opening up with a wonderful array of stadium sized instrumentals and even bigger chorus’ to boot. It feels huge which in itself, compliments the sheer size of this album. Playing With Fire takes things up a notch with an effortlessly funky and heavy riff that oozes into your head through your headphones giving acts like ROYAL BLOOD a run for their money. Vultures completes a wonderful hat trick of delightfully devilish tracks that will have you pumping the air with your fist and wanting to pick up a guitar and lay down some riffs yourself.
After the bombardment of riffs, Hey You gives us a well needed break. This time synthesisers take centre stage over guitars, once again we are treated to a wonderful stadium sized almost pop anthem that slowly builds up to massive crescendo before floating back down to a quiet ending. At the midway point we reach the track AI.m^n, one of the more interesting songs on the album before it brings the first half to a close. Focusing themes on AI, warning us that it will eventually take over if we don’t change the path the human race is currently embarking on. You can also easily picture this song as a Bond theme, it has a brooding sense to it that we sometimes get in the opening titles of one of those films.
Normally at this point on any other album, we’d have finished by now. The track; Scream however launches us back into the fray and shows that this album still has plenty of juice left in it. The anthemic atmosphere still lingers as the riffs continue to get bigger and better with an even bigger chorus to boot. Half way through the second half of the album we get to Lost In The Wilderness. Whilst this one does have that giant feel to it that the majority of the album has had, it’s definitely one of the weaker songs on the album. It lacks that bite that other tunes have had and it’s quite blatant that this song is made more for radio plays. It’s not a bad song by any means but it does have the potential to be better in a live setting.
Here Comes The Hurricane however quickly picks things back up that offers one final burst of fast paced energy before Black / Red reaches its end. By the time you get to this track, you genuinely don’t feel like you’ve had a double album on. The penultimate; Soldiers of Love is one of the best tracks of the record. A very different sounding track compared to the rest of the album. It opens on a set of bagpipes before being guided through by a delightful marching snare drum and an equally delightful guitar that you can’t help but sway along to, it’s a perfect song for a long drive on a summer’s day.
Looking back on the album after listening to it, it feels almost impossible to talk about all the tracks. It’s one hell of a journey that never once leaves you feeling bored. Whilst the themes aren’t the most thought provoking you’ve ever heard, it’s a good fun guitar led album, and sometimes that’s all you need. It’s proof that FEEDER still have life in them. All the tracks compliment each other greatly and most importantly feel fresh, they’re able to go toe to toe with their best work such as Buck Rogers, Feeling A Moment and Just A Day. If you’ve been lucky enough to catch them live on their current UK tour, you know that these songs are ready made for a live setting and come the release of the full album, the thought of seeing more of these songs is a great prospect.
Rating: 8/10
Black / Red is out now via Big Teeth Music via Townsend Music/Absolute Label Services.
Like FEEDER on Facebook.