MY REGIME "Peek Through The Pines"

MY REGIME 

"Peek Through The Pines"

Not every release has to be a towering home run out of the park. Sometimes a double or even a strong single can be effective. Sweden's My Regime will never be considered world beaters or a particularly outstanding band but they might keep you entertained for a half hour or so. No shame in that at all.

"Peek Through The Pines" is modern, groove oriented thrash metal delivered in competent fashion. I'm actually kind of relieved this is not another stab at retro-thrash because we don't need another hollow echo of a bygone age. My Regime is a chugging, usually mid paced kind of thrash, with very little flat out speed mongering. This is a more measured approach than the previous My Regime album "Deranged Patterns", which leaned towards Slayer. On either album, the big asset here is the strong vocal performance of Spice, the voice behind Spiritual Beggars and Kayser. This guy can do more than just growl or scream...he actually sings here, but still delivering aggression.

I wanted to like this a bit more than I did but there are times like on "Underneath My Skin" and the lengthy "Unglue My Soul" where the song structure is rather awkward, featuring strange breaks and false finishes that have you scratching your head. Straightforward crunchers like the title track and "Deceit" come across better. The sound of the album is strong and the playing on point.

To continue the baseball analogy, this is a solid hit that advances the runner but doesn't score a run.

SCARLET RECORDS

MY REGIME