10 Rock Music Acts Who Peaked With Their First Album

6. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm

Bloc Party's Silent Alarm was a massive hit at the time of its release, receiving plentiful critical praise and nabbing countless Album of the Year gongs from various publications and organisations. While the five subsequent Bloc Party albums have all had their positives, they've all fallen short when held up against the band's 2005 debut record.

When they crashed onto the scene in mid-2004 with the banging' Banquet - which was released as an double A-side single with Staying Fat - Black Party jumped out as something different. They were raw and spunky, yet mature and precise with their sound, and they likewise managed to come across as intelligent without being too pretentious or w*anky.

Silent Alarm itself serves as a gripping roller coaster that only rarely lets you up for the occasional breather. Starting on the right front with Like Eating Glass, Block Party immediately have you hook, line and sinker. It's a monumental opener, with a calming, steady guitar accompanied by erratic, driving drums and a cheeky little bass line - all while Kele Okereke's vocals get to showcase their power.

It's the perfect table-setter, and Helicopter, She's Hearing Voices, This Modern Love, Price of Gas, and So Here We Are only continue to further let you know what Bloc Party are all about - and that 'what' is nothing short of magnificent.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.