Four albums in and this is the ‘Kings of Leon’ shot for the big time. After cult success with their first two albums ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ and ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’, they developed a more mature sound on third studio album ‘Because of the Times’.
‘Only by the Night’ sees ‘Kings of Leon’ aiming for a wider audience. This is stadium rock at its most powerful, with mass sing-along tunes and powerful rock songs. This album contains some of ‘Kings of Leon’s’ finest work to date. ‘Revelry’ is a stand out song, but some of the album, especially the second half, is a bit of a let down.
No doubt there aim for the mainstream will be successful; anthems such as ‘Sex on Fire’ and ‘Use Somebody’ are guaranteed to open up the Kings to a wider audience. But established fans of the ‘Kings of Leon’ will be disappointed. This album is a little cold, too commercialised and despite being a more refined sound- you can make out Caleb Followill’s lyrics on most of the songs, a damn near impossibility on any of their previous work’- long time fans will no doubt be let down by their attempts to play to a wider audience.
The big thing is where they go from here, and how they will use their likely new found success. While the Kings may settle for mainstream success and radio-play mediocrity, fans of their previous work will be hoping for a return to their roots.
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