Feeder - Renegades Album Review

Having road-tested their new material with a couple of low-key tours earlier in the year, Feeder now present their seventh studio album on their own Big Teeth Music label.

The band have recruited a new drummer in the shape of Karl Brazil and are set to hit the road again in autumn after festival appearances including Sonisphere and the dual V Festival events.

'Renegades' has been touted as a return to Feeder's earlier, harder sound and this is indicated in the crunching riffs of opener 'White Lines'. Recent single 'Call Out' furthers this claim, its raw fun making for a frantic anthem, while the title track recalls the spirit of punk. It is an attitude carried throughout the likes of 'Home' and 'Barking Dogs' with the only let down being under-developed 'This Town', while 'Down By The River' opens up with an impressive chorus in the power-ballad mould.

The return to a primal style may theoretically alienate more recent fans, but Grant Nicholas still proves his knack for writing a catchy tune. The lack of variation may drag slightly toward the finale of the record, but at just over 30 minutes the length of the LP is perfect to avoid this becoming detrimental.

Andrew Lockwood