Review
A dystopian alternate-reality Australia serves as the battleground for the high-wire conceptual metalcore of Royal Discordance. Critics have warmly embraced this ambitious, multi-tiered narrative, noting that the band successfully bridges the gap between chaotic aggression—anchored by "guitars the size of mountains"—and grand theatricality. The ensemble delivers an experience that is both "vividly dramatic" and "emotionally volatile" rather than relying on formulaic genre tropes.
Sonically, the album thrives on a dialectic between bone-rattling heavy riffs and sweeping symphonic arrangements. Mikey Arthur's vocals fluctuate deftly between manic shrieks and massive, anthemic choruses. Reviewers particularly celebrated how the band's softer transitions feel deliberate, describing the clean vocal deliveries as "ghostly and intimate, like dissociation given melody". Even for listeners uninitiated in the band's dense storylines, the record triumphs in its kinetic momentum, shifting from punishing breakdowns to orchestral power ballads with remarkable precision.
