Review Summary: 4 years after the release of "American Apathy", Dope show that they can still kick some serious ass on this fun record.
Dope really don't get a lot of recognition in the rock/metal community today. Maybe it's because none of their albums have won any special awards or charted well or maybe it's because they haven't released an album in 4 years and a band with this much popularity faded out of thought to all of us. Regardless, they are back and better then they ever have been before.
I got this album with a lot of anticipation. "American Apathy" was a great album, but it lacked the catchi-ness that made "Life" such a great and fun record. It didn't flow that well and got boring easy. The music here however is much, much better. The Guitars are definetly worth noting, for they have improved drastically. Virus incorporates pinch harmonics and solos into a lot of the songs on this record, and it really works well. The riffs are fast, heavy, and catchy - just what you would expect in a Dope album except they are better than before. Edsel Dope pulls out all the stops on his vocal performance here. Listen to "Felons and Revolutionaries" then listen to this record...there is a big difference. His range is limited, but he uses all of it as best he can and it's great. On tracks like "My Funeral" he presents some of his catchy and great clean vocals with a great chorus that goes with the heavy riffs and on songs like "6 6 Sick" he screams his way through in a relentless onslaught that can only be Dope. the band also picked up a new Bassist for this album cycle - Tripp Lee Tribbett. In some of the songs his bass lines are hidden behind the crunching guitar riffs of Virus, but he does make his presence known in some songs. Angel, the drummer, puts out some great and heavy beats here and there and keeps the furious pace of Dope's music up in all the songs present here.
The album flows nicely from start to finish. Tracks like "Flatline" , "Interlude" , and "Bloodless" serve as intros to their respective corresponding songs and might seem to some people as unecessary, but they help the album flow through and I never saw a problem with them. The band also did a cover of the Billy Idol classic "Rebel Yell". While some might not see this as a big deal (countless bands have covered this song) , Dope actually did a great job and make the song fun to listen to. "Addiction" is another standout track. Being the album's first single, it features the guitar work of famous shredder Zakk Wylde of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society fame. His guitar work on the song is great and the solo is a great addition to the song. "Die, Boom, Bang, Burn, ***" is a live parody of the songs "Die MF Die" , "I'm Back" , "Sick" , "Burn", and F**k tha Police" from their previous albums. It's not a necessary trck to this album, but its still a cool listen and Virus makes all the riffs sound better than they do on the previous records (even throwing a solo in there as well). A lot of people might have alread heard the albums closer, "Nothing For Me Here", already on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as a bonus track. Its a great song, featuring fast riffs and a catchy, cleanly-sung chorus by Edsel that finishes the album suddenly and leaves the listener wanting more.
When it comes down to it, "No Regrets" really is a great album. Edsel and his band have never sounded better and most of the tracks here are great and fun to listen to, just like the other Dope albums. Being a fan of the band, I wasn't dissapointed, but their music is not everyone's cup of tea. 4 years after the release of "American Apathy" , Dope still today show that they can kick some serious ass no matter how many years they dissapear from the heavy music scene on this fun, fun record. Pick it up and give it a listen...you might just find yourself really enjoying this stuff.
