ALBUM REVIEW: Regicide - Resist Control

Not to be confused with the plethora of bands sharing the same moniker (from China, Germany, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Poland, New Mexico (USA), India, Russia and Switzerland), we get Chelmsford’s Regicide, and if you like new British thrash, you are sure to have heard the name! 

Formed in 2020, the band have so far released four singles and an ep, now they deliver their debut album Resist Control, and its a bit of a bruiser! Beginning with the aptly named Intro, we get the background sounds of war, air raid sirens, gunshots, etc, before leading into One By One, which starts with a groovy, chuggy riff, underpinned with some solid drums. The vocals of Niall Byrne (also guitar), when they come in, are guttural, if higher in pitch than I expected, but once you get used to them, they suit the music. This is followed by You Ain’t Nobody, which is a more thrashy number, with a guitar motif reminiscent of a speeded-up AC/DC, a chanty chorus and a nice chugging part ¾ of the way through. 

Suppression follows, beginning with a superb bit of heavy bass, thanks to Josh Birch, followed by an almost bluesy bit of guitar which mutates into a beautiful main riff with a great breakdown, the kick drums of Jordan Maze really come through here, pounding like Tyson Fury in a grudge match, another breakdown, again ¾ of the way through, leads into another bluesy section, that fades out to the end. This is a personal highlight. Next up comes title track Resist Control, with another slow start, before a crushing thrash section, which again returns to the chugging main riff. Disposable Crown is another full-on thrasher, with some magnificent arpeggios at the end of the main riff, and finally a solo from lead guitarist Mike Davies, and its a belter, some really good blasts on the kick drums again, then as if a motif of the album, at the ¾ mark another breakdown and another solo, once again its a good one. 

The single Dying to Be Liked is up next, and with a really pounding start from the drums and a solo that is impeccable, it’s followed by a deeper, more guttural vocal, especially in the chorus, it’s bordering on death metal. The penultimate track is Unified Strength, another mid tempo chugger, and the motif of the breakdown at the ¾ mark. The finale of Run Your Mouth starts slowly, but the kickers are soon bludgeoning you, and it really picks up the pace, the backing vocals stay almost death metal, but this slows for a wonderful, languid solo, then speeds to a hard-core breakdown, that brings the album, to a close, At just under 36-minutes, it won’t take up much of your day, but if you love a bit of groove thrash, this will be right up your street, I loved it, and can’t wait to catch these guys live soon.

Resist Control is released on 5th July 

Review by Andrew Matthews

Live photo - Hutch