{"id":16231,"date":"2013-09-25T00:00:34","date_gmt":"2013-09-25T00:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=16231"},"modified":"2014-01-09T13:00:29","modified_gmt":"2014-01-09T13:00:29","slug":"album-review-dregen-dregen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-dregen-dregen\/","title":{"rendered":"DREGEN – Dregen (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

DREGEN
Dregen<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nSpinefarm (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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For those not in the know, Swedish guitarist Dregen was one of the founders of Backyard Babies and The Hellacopters, and for this debut solo record has also taken up vocal and songwriting duties for what I can only describe as one of 2013\u2019s hottest releases.<\/p>\n

Nothing beats an album that expresses oomph, ups the gears and spits in the face of those watered-down wannabes. Fans of brash rock \u2019n\u2019 roll who have lapped up the likes of The Last Vegas over recent years will no doubt find much to savour here as Dregen leads us through a batch of sordid stompers. There is something so instant and fun about this ten-track platter, the sort of raunchy, riotous affair that\u2019ll have you drinkin\u2019 and smokin\u2019 until your heart\u2019s content.<\/p>\n

At the table, Dregen is joined by former Entombed \/ The Hellacopters man Nicke Andersson, who provides rhythm guitar, bass and drums on three tracks, and with him comes drummer Karl Rockfist (Michael Monroe \/ Danzig) and bassists Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks \/ New York Dolls \/ Michael Monroe \/ Joan Jett) and John Calabresse (Danko Jones).<\/p>\n

And so to the music… and what a record this is! From the opening strains of \u2018Divisions Of Me\u2019, with its punk attitude and glittery romp, there\u2019s no stopping this kid who snarls, \u201cI always wanted to be, reanimated and free\u201d<\/em> over a sleazy guitar twang before we\u2019re kicked in the balls by the vigorous, piano-tinged chorus.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s with the superb \u2018Just Like That\u2019 where Dregen really finds his feet. This is easily one of the best rock \u2019n\u2019 roll tracks I\u2019ve heard in the last decade, let alone last year, as it stomps with that glam strut and Dregen\u2019s swaggering vocal. Chorus-wise it\u2019s pure bubblegum rock \u2013 the hooks are dirty but you\u2019ll be coming back time and time again to this tale of raunchy \u2019n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n

The variety on offer here is spectacular to say the least, as the sublime \u2018Flat Tyre On A Muddy Road\u2019, with its bluesy, country drool and killer vocal snarl accompanied by Swedish female singer Titiyo, lashes its leathery whip, wiping the floor with \u2018Just Like That\u2019 to herald a new king on the throne.<\/p>\n

With only three tracks in I\u2019m dazzled by the talent this guy has and wondering where this album is going to go, and wondering if I care beyond this trio of masterful rock \u2019n\u2019 roll romps. But the riff heavy \u2018Gig Pig\u2019 is just as pleasing, boasting an air of the sinister with its menace and slamming percussion, while \u2018Pink Hearse\u2019 and \u2018Bad Situation\u2019 go straight for the throat, contrasting in styles but both equally bruising.<\/p>\n

\u2018One Man Army\u2019 is a direct sleaze groover with feisty handclaps, 70s strut and Rolling Stones vibe. In contrast, \u20186-10\u2019 is a slow-burner creeper with disco beat and industrialised vocal sneer, again showcasing the varying moods and emotions of this smorgasbord of a record. Each track is a one way ticket to rock \u2019n\u2019 roll Babylon, often unpredictable, yet always fulfilling to the maximum, reaching into the depths of anarchy yet also reflection as it slithers through the buzzing shimmy of \u2018Refuse\u2019 to the climatic wildfire of \u2018Mojo\u2019s Gone\u2019.<\/p>\n

Dregen\u2019s debut outing achieves its aim of leaving us breathless on the floor and with a smattering of influences it\u2019s no doubt the sort of album you\u2019ll be spinning to keep the party going. All hail Dregen, the new king of rock \u2019n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DREGENDregen Spinefarm (2013)Rating: 9\/10 For those not in the know, Swedish guitarist Dregen was one of the founders of Backyard Babies and The Hellacopters, and for this debut solo record has also taken up vocal and songwriting duties for what I can only describe as one of 2013\u2019s hottest releases. Nothing beats an album that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,894],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-dregen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16231"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16236,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16231\/revisions\/16236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}