6/10

Since the early 1990s, Pearl Jam cemented themselves as one of the seminal rock outfits of the decade. With a string of highly-praised offerings throughout the first twenty years of their tenure, the band grew to an almost godlike figure on the global stage, cementing themselves as one of the true innovators of the grunge-rock movement. But after a number of years in the wilderness, it seems that the progressive outfit are back to deliver their long-awaited eleventh studio album 'Gigaton', a record that sees them tread water on their ongoing legacy.

Before today, it had been seven years since we last had a studio album from Pearl Jam, and many of their fans assumed it would be their last. But the emergence of global unrest and political struggles seemed to have reignited a spark inside Eddie Vedder and the band, who spends the majority of the album relishing in the end of days and creating an unintentionally timely release in the process. Yet despite its strong message, 'Gigaton' never really sees them fully unleash themselves in the way that we know them to, regularly choosing to adopt a driven and steady flow rather than look to blow us away in any regard.

Fans of the band will obviously be happy to see them return with a collection which isn't a complete misfire, but 'Gigaton' never really sees them bring the same power that we would have expected. Tracks like 'Quick Escape' and 'Dance Of The Clairvoyants' offer up a glimpse of their former selves, but not enough to see them back to their best.