Album review: Feeder – Black / Red

Gamblers at a roulette table looking to double their money traditionally face the choice of putting it all on black or red. And on Black / Red, their landmark 12th album, Feeder also go for a high-stakes double: 18 tracks, two “discs” and one raised middle finger to today’s supposedly TikTok-ravaged short attention spans.

Luckily, if there’s any band that could be described as a sure thing, it’s probably Feeder. There’s barely been a misstep across those dozen records and while this trilogy-concluding follow-up to 2022’s excellent Torpedo is certainly ambitious, Grant Nicholas and Taka Hirose emerge with their high-rolling reputations enhanced.

The ’Black’ disc continues Torpedo’s hard-rocking renaissance, the tightly wound classic rock riffing of Playing With Fire and the expansive, cinematic landscape of ELF striking a charming juxtaposition with the irresistible pop rush of Hey You. ‘Red’ isn’t quite as heavy, but it’s just as intense, stuffed with Feeder’s ’00s trademark: melody-drenched, emotive alternative-rock anthems such as Sleeping Dogs Lie, Unconditional and Here Comes The Hurricane.