The long quest for the ultimate riffalicious, stoner groove is finally over. Does it come from Miami, California, San Francisco, Toronto? - Not even close. Sheffield – the city of Black Sabbath and Def Leppard, yes this new breed of genre-twisting comes from the UK, which isn't so surprising if you think about it.
Like the star cluster they take their name from, Regulus burst into life in 2012 and have been chasing after a sound that incorporates doom, psychedelia, blues, metal and classic rock ever since.
Their second album feels and sounds exactly like the dusty, desolate landscape of the cover art. The band have created some viciously stomping rhythms that wouldn't be out of place in a Mad Max movie. Some of their musical cohesion are so smart they circle around you kicking sand in your face as they fly past.
The muffled satanic riffs of Dominion open out into a fury of heavy metal power chords and metallic vocals. If you think that this sound represents the band you would be wrong. Seven Tales Told incorporates a rockadelic slap bass line, bringing in their progressive influences. The use of female vocal on Bones adds to the blues overtones on the track. It's hot and heavy and quite delicious.
Heart Of Stone takes the album into another direction once more by heading down the highway of 70s rock. Dutch is another really strong addition that owes as much to classic rock as it does to funk.
One of the joys about this album is that it refuses to get stuck in a particular riff rutt; just when the track gets moving the band shift direction adding subtle changes to percussion, vocals and even tempo, making Quadralith a compelling listen.
Luke Jennings (vocals and guitar) holds the line between clean and downright dirty vocals, without becoming unmelodic; a trap that many fusion bands have falling into, pulling the earth on top of them in the process.
Their influences may be as endless as the stars themselves, but Regulas have fused them together to form an adventurous and dynamic sound that is out of this world.
Groupie Rating 4/5
