It’s that time when we throw our managed bands into the reviewers pit and hope that our no-holds barred review team like what they here… Hutch checks out the new Regicide Album… Resist Control

Hunt down Regicide on the Metal Archives and you’ll find a dozen bands of the same name. Look closer and you’ll find one listed as being from the UK. This is the correct choice, for the groove / thrash outfit from Essex have finally got to the position where their debut album is ready to drop.  

I’ll admit it seems like these boys have been around a lot longer than four years, but it’s not that long since they released their 2022 EP ‘Burnt Eyes’. They’ve done the sensible thing and not overloaded this debut album, restricting it to a compact 37-minutes and eight full length songs.  

It’s standard for thrash bands to have an instrumental intro and Regicide are playing it by the book, although it’s a short piece cleverly called ‘Intro’ to ensure you don’t get confused. It segues neatly into ‘One by One’, which hits you hard in the face. The riffs are ferocious, the groove infectious, and the vocals, always a key component for me, work well. Nial Byrne’s screaming delivery is just the right side of forced, and although he’s got a limited range, he uses it to full effect. The use of fade will upset a couple of purists, but it doesn’t impact on the listening pleasure and allows a breath before the pulsating speed of ‘You Ain’t Nobody’ which follows. And whilst there isn’t anything that is making me sit up and go “wow, that’s new”, Regicide certainly aren’t slouches with a powerful performance. A tidy breakdown will ensure that those pits are full of loons stomping ala Anthrax circa 1987, and that’s never a bad thing. 

I’ve seen these guys live and it’s easy to visualise these songs pumping out on stages across the UK. Playing it a little safe in the middle of the album, ‘Suppression’ and ‘Resist Control’ follow a similar formula. Nothing wrong with them at all, but a little repetitive and at times I found my attention wandering a little. The snarling ‘Disposable Crown’ snapped me back to it and I was slapped right back to reality with the pounding drive of ‘Dying to be Liked’ which thundered like a full-throttle sports car and simply grabbed the attention with its huge hooks.  

If I had any issues, it would be with the slightly repetitive nature which at times sound similar. This is a genre which by its nature can be restrictive and the challenge for Regicide is to build on this solid release for the future. Overall, though, if you like your riffs on the big side, with plenty of groove, then ‘Resist Control’ is worth checking out. 

Diving into the final two tracks and ‘Unified Strength’ catches the ear with a big riff and more catchy grooves. You can hear the effort that Regicide have invested in this release, and they move in unison towards the closing track, ‘Run Your Mouth’, which continues the pace of the album right to the final bars, where it slows to an industrial grind.  

Regicide – Resist Control is out this Friday the 5th July PRE-SAVE– catch them at Coalville Metal Invasion, or at their Launch show next Friday 12th July at the 3 Wise Monkeys or In London at The Dev with Crossfire on the 14th July