Organized Crime Records is branching out these days with the release from a band that isn't from the Chicago metropolitan area. Jokes! Jokes! I'm aware the label has released bands from outside of Chicago. This isn't a knock at the label; they just love their hometown bands. But you can't really blame them. I'm sure working face-to-face with bands and people that you see on a regular basis makes putting an album together a hell of a lot easier than a cross-country relationship that relies solely on phone-calls and emails. So who is the lucky band from outside the Chicago-land area? Regret from the great state of Minnesota, of course. And this is their debut EP, which follows up an impressive demo released last year - it saw a re-release on 7" earlier this year, also on Organized Crime.
Misery Brigade opens with the track "Nineteen Sixty-Eight," an abrasive hardcore tune that clocks in at about two and a half minutes. There is a definite mix of metallic hardcore and rock and roll going on with Regret - so obvious comparisons to The Hope Conspiracy and The Suicide File are going to made. While there are similarities to be made, the band does haves its differences from those mentioned. Musically, Regret is a lot less reliant on fast-paced drumming and riffs. That isn't to say that they use slow and plodding riffs, guitarists Sean Lipinski certainly has knack for writing crisp and punishing riffs, there is just more experimentation. "Welcome to the New Year" contains a bit of an ambient interlude and slowing of the pace, this break adds character to the song and helps to distinguish the songs from each other. They use this style again on the title track, which is essential a build-up to the next track.
Even with the experimental elements interspersed throughout the album, one can't help but admit that this band sounds a lot like The Hope Conspiracy. "We're All Desperate" could have easily been a b-side from Endnote. However, there is one aspect of Regret that will allow them to step out from that shadow: Matt Keil's vocals. His voice is vicious and his delivery is extremely forceful; I bet he's a thrill to watch live on stage. And the lyrics that he writes are equally as impressive. Take this excerpt from "Shallow Beds:"
By the time you get this letter, I'll be gone / Just another lonesome ghost for god to trample on / This is a disease, and time is the water in my lungs / But this pointing finger, is on the trigger of a gun / And I'm letting goââ¬Â¦
Comparisons are going to be made, but don't read into them too much, just take them as reference points and make your own decision. Regret has turned in an impressive performance here on Misery Brigade, and I can assure you that you'll be hearing a lot more from them in the future.
