Album Review: Regiment - Live at the Whiskey A Go Go

Regiment

Live at the Whiskey A Go Go

***and1/2 out of *****

Even before the music spins out from Regiment's new release, Live at the Whiskey A Go Go, you know what you are in for just by looking at the retro metal art. If anything, the playing contained within goes even heavier as the thrash metal burns with the power of an exploding sun over Los Angeles. 

The hometown fourpiece consists of Tyler “Heathen Hammer” Heath - vocals, Andy Panik - guitar, Dylan Segatore - bass, and Gio Loyola - drums, who waste zero time smashing out raw with the blazing "Acid Lord" opener. The band focuses on their debut full length Soldiers of Speed for this show, and like most live albums of this genre the tunes pick up aggression and muscle, but lose a bit in nuance. The biggest causality is Heath's soaring vocals which can get buried beneath the maelstrom in the live setting. 

Things work out well for "Voodoo Rock and Roll", which slows the tempo down just a hair as the rumbling drums and soaring vocals carry the day. Two of the best efforts arrive early as "Drag Me To Hell" adds a groove to the straight-ahead metal madness that works well, while "Cyborg Holocaust" rebels against our future AI overlords by injecting some punk energy into the metal, delivering shout along choruses we should all get behind. 

The bass rumbles from Segatore contributes to "The Art of Arson" shaking speakers while "Emergency" is a blast, delivering a long introduction and break down finale that is more drawn out than the bands usual straight-ahead attack. Regiment saved their speediest for the end of their set as they unleash the fury during "Speed Tyrant", blow up the system with "New World Order" and power up fantastic six string runs during the blazing "Hellhounds", which is simply on fire. 

Panik's siren like riffs and Heath's wailing vocals match perfectly on set closer "Erotic Asphyxiation" that is a swirling chaotic mess (in a good way) but it just may be Loyola's drums which are the overall MVP's pounding forward, driving things at a frantic pace. 

Any way you slice it, Regiment's Live at the Whiskey A Go Go is a blistering slice of thrash metal that ignites the listeners frontal lobe, here's hoping there is more to come from this outfit. 

________

Support the artists, buy the album, peep some video below: