The premise of a four-piece rock band hailing from Bedford sounds very unassuming when compared to the reality of the eclectic rockers, Don Broco. Their journey, not just musically, but also stylistically has been fascinating to see unfold.
Just over ten years ago, the quartet of Rob Damiani, Simon Delaney, Tom Doyle, and Matt Donnelly arrived in a sleek modern fashion with tunes equally glossy, though with heavy undertones of Nu Metal influences. Over their first four albums, that sleek style has morphed and shifted as with each outing, the group have adapted more genre influences and styles while pushing the edges of their production.
With their previous album, 2021’s Amazing Things, they not only secured their first UK, number one album, but sonically, their frenetic sound was notably refined and matured. Their open-minded approach saw them tackle serious themes, such as being confronted with bigotry in everyday social situations with hefty single “Uber”, along with the personal effects of the covid pandemic on “Easter Sunday”.
Don Broco arrived at their moment with Amazing Things, and with Nightmare Tripping, their fifth studio album, that frantic energy meeting personal, introspective themes continues. The aggressive, abrasive rock sound is immediate with the opener “Cellophane”, guitars chug and scrape over powerful drums, while the title track dials up the mania to the extreme, switching from manic, rocking verses to trademark expansive choruses.
What is also interesting here, is Nightmare Tripping sees two guest features, with Nickelback starring on the title track, while Sam Carter of Architects provides guest vocals on “True Believers”. This marks quite a change for the group and serves as another reminder of how far they have come by now being able to enlist such high-profile names, the latter helping to add a metalcore sheen to the track.
In all, Nightmare Tripping is in no way a ripping up and starting again; it’s a conscious reiteration and next step on the development of Don Broco’s approach to their sound. The only mark against it is that it can feel close to becoming too unstable and undone the extremes are pushed that far. But that also makes the emotive moments all the smoother, and in turn, making the heavy feel that more satisfying and rocking.
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