Songs like Royal Blood: 10 heavy riff songs for bass-and-drums fans

Songs like Royal Blood hit hard with very little: a riff big enough to fill an arena, drums that lock onto it like a fist, and a vocal that rides on top with a smirk. The appeal is economy and weight at once. Muse's "Hysteria," Death From Above 1979's "Romantic Rights" and Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" run on that same riff-first muscle.

Royal Blood is the Brighton duo of Mike Kerr on bass and vocals and Ben Thatcher on drums. Their self-titled debut arrived in 2014, carried by "Out of the Black," "Little Monster" and "Figure It Out." How Did We Get So Dark? followed in 2017, then Typhoons in 2021, which leaned into dance grooves, and Back to the Water Below in 2023.

What does Royal Blood sound like?

Royal Blood songs move at a stomping mid-tempo, sometimes kicking into a fast gallop for a chorus. There's no guitarist, yet the band sounds like it has one: Kerr's bass is distorted and split so it covers both the low end and the riff, while Thatcher plays big, simple, heavy patterns that leave space for every hit to land. Riffs and drums often lock together in unison, then stop dead for a beat before slamming back in. On Typhoons the drums shift toward a steadier, almost disco pulse without losing the weight.

Kerr sings in a high, clipped voice that cuts through the noise, with melodic hooks that make the heavy songs catchy. The mood is cocky and tense, more strut than rage. Lyrically the songs circle relationships under strain, temptation, bad decisions and the push and pull of wanting something that isn't good for you. The result is hard rock that still works on the radio, short and punchy, rarely wasting a bar.

Songs like Royal Blood: 10 picks

1. Cream, "Sunshine of Your Love" (1967). A bass and guitar riff moving in lockstep over a heavy, swinging beat. It's an early blueprint for the riff-in-unison sound Royal Blood is built on.
2. Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog" (1971). A twisting riff that stops and starts around the vocal, every gap as loud as the notes. The stop-start drama is all over Royal Blood's choruses.
3. Rage Against the Machine, "Bulls on Parade" (1996). A heavy, grooving riff with a rhythm section that swings as hard as it hits. For fans who love how Royal Blood makes heavy music move.
4. Muse, "Hysteria" (2003). A fast, fuzzed bassline drives the whole song from the first bar. Proof that a bass riff can carry a rock anthem, the idea Royal Blood took further.
5. Death From Above 1979, "Romantic Rights" (2004). A Toronto duo of distorted bass and drums with a singing drummer, from You're a Woman, I'm a Machine. The closest structural match on the list.
6. Franz Ferdinand, "Take Me Out" (2004). A fast opening that drops into a slower, danceable stomp of a riff. It points toward the groove-led side Royal Blood explored on Typhoons.
7. Biffy Clyro, "Bubbles" (2009). A Scottish trio's tight, heavy riff and soaring chorus from Only Revolutions. The same blend of crunch and melody that makes Royal Blood singalong material.
8. Jack White, "Sixteen Saltines" (2012). A jagged, fuzzed riff and a yelped vocal from Blunderbuss. It shares Royal Blood's lean, garage-born aggression.
9. Nothing But Thieves, "Amsterdam" (2017). A newer British band with a heavy, stuttering riff and a high, piercing vocal. Close to Kerr's register and the band's mix of power and hooks.
10. Greta Van Fleet, "Highway Tune" (2017). A blues-rock riff and a wailing vocal straight out of the seventies. For listeners who come to Royal Blood for the classic rock DNA.

Songs like Royal Blood prove that weight comes from focus: one riff, played hard enough, can sound bigger than a wall of guitars.

Viper Junction songs that fit

Viper Junction is a desert rock band from Joshua Tree, California, whose debut album, Gasoline Hymn, pairs walls of distortion with big, stadium-sized choruses and a powerful alto out front.

1. Close match: Viper Junction, "Silver Teeth". Track seven is a barroom victory lap, the narrator strutting in with dust on her boots, ready to "bite this town tonight." The swagger matches Royal Blood at its cockiest; the difference is the lead voice, a powerful alto instead of Kerr's high, clipped hooks.
2. Close match: Viper Junction, "Hollowpoint". A revenge song built on gun imagery, from someone who stayed quiet too long and is done being careful or small. It has the coiled menace of Royal Blood's darker cuts, though the lyric is more openly confrontational than theirs usually get.
3. Partial match: Viper Junction, "Fireproof". Track four is a survival song where every attempt to burn the narrator down only hardens her. The defiance fits, but the tone is triumphant where Royal Blood tends to sound conflicted.

More artists like Royal Blood

Past the ten picks, the names most often grouped with Royal Blood include Queens of the Stone Age, The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Band of Skulls, Blood Red Shoes, Black Pistol Fire, Highly Suspect and Soft Play, the duo formerly known as Slaves.

Pick by what hooks you. If it's the two-piece format, go to Death From Above 1979, Blood Red Shoes and The White Stripes. For sheer heaviness, try Rage Against the Machine and Queens of the Stone Age. If Typhoons is your favorite, Franz Ferdinand and Muse lean into the same danceable rock.

Where to start

Start with "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Black Dog" to hear the roots, then "Hysteria" and "Romantic Rights" for the bass-driven blueprint. Finish with "Highway Tune" and Viper Junction's "Silver Teeth". Our desert rock guide covers the heavier, sunbaked side of the family, and if you came to Royal Blood through the blues, our songs like The Black Keys list is the next stop.

Key takeaways

1. Songs like Royal Blood pair a distorted, riff-carrying bass with heavy, simple drums and a high, hooky vocal.
2. Cream and Led Zeppelin are the roots; Muse's "Hysteria" and Death From Above 1979 show what a bass riff can carry.
3. Biffy Clyro, Nothing But Thieves and Greta Van Fleet bring the same mix of weight and melody to newer records.
4. Viper Junction's "Silver Teeth" and "Hollowpoint" from Gasoline Hymn (2026) share the swagger and menace, led by a powerful alto.

Royal Blood's whole idea is that less can hit harder. Every song here makes the same case, one riff at a time.

FAQ

What genre is Royal Blood?

Royal Blood is a hard rock band, often grouped with garage rock and alternative rock. The duo builds its sound on distorted bass riffs and heavy drums, with no guitarist.

What bands are similar to Royal Blood?

Death From Above 1979, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age, The White Stripes, Band of Skulls and Nothing But Thieves are among the closest. Each pairs heavy riffs with strong hooks.

What Royal Blood song should I start with?

"Figure It Out" from the debut album Royal Blood (2014) is the usual entry point. "Out of the Black" from the same album shows the band at its heaviest.

Who is Viper Junction?

Viper Junction is a McCandless Records desert rock band from Joshua Tree, California, fronted by an alto vocalist. Its debut album, Gasoline Hymn, came out in May 2026.