 No Regrets |Koch Records, 2009| 
1. Flat Line, 2. 6-6-Sick, 3. Addiction, 4. No Regrets, 5. My Funeral, 6. We Are, 7. Dirty World, 8. Interlude, 9. Violence, 10. Best for Me, 11. Bloodless, 12. Scorn, 13. Rebel Yell (Billy Idol Cover), 14. I Don't Give a Fuck, 15. Die, Bom, Bang, Burn, Fuck, 16. Nothing for Me Here
Some reviewers categorize Dope ias the new wave of industrial metal music, but after comparing their music to nu metal songs I think there’s a spot for Dope along those lines. There are meaningful differences between these two styles, for instance, nu metal doesn’t use any mixtures of industrial samples appearing in the background, but its arrangements are based on the same set of instruments found as the basis of metal music. The only Dope music that resembles industrial metal are some tracks that utilize some speeches by George W. Bush and a few other American politicians caught in a soundbyte, along with some audio dialog samples from movies, similar what was commonly used by Ministry.
Other than that, Dope should be categorized and placed side by side with bands like Disturbed, Static-X or even Pantera. An Australian band known as Jerk may also be a good example for an industrial metal music representative, sounding probably as aggressive as Dope, however Jerk used nu metal influences with a multitude of industrial sounding samples.
I find the music of Dope to be very well composed, produced with satisfying metal guitar riffs, the use of "live" instruments, along with aggressive drumbeats and torn vocals.
No Regrets is definitely the heaviest Dope album since their debut album, Felons And Revolutionaries released in 1999. This album is very reminiscent of Pantera as I mentioned above, but Slayer can be referenced as well (in "We Are", "Violence", "6-6-Sick", "Best For Me" and "Scorn").
I really liked the song "Addiction" with a special guest appearance by Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) as well as a very well done cover song of the famous "Rebel Yell" originally done by Billy Idol. This song wasn’t changed very much at all from it's original form, but many more dynamics and aggression were to be found in the new version. Edsel Dope’s voice perfectly matches Billy Idol's vocals. Is that a mix of both perhaps? However they made it, it came out very cool. This wasn’t the first cover song Dope has made, because "People Are People" (Depeche Mode) can be found on the American Apathy album released in 1995. "Die, Bom, Bang, Burn, Fuck" is kept in the classic style of Dope, but "Nothing For Me There" sounds definitely nu metal.
There have been plenty of musicians in the Dope line-up throughout the years, including former guitarist and bass player Tripp Eisen (1997-2000), who is now a 44 year old lover teenagers. He was in jail twice in 2005 for sexual intercourse with 14 year old girls, and again for violating the terms of his probation in 2008. Eisen also played guitar in Static-X along with Murderdolls for a short time.
Edsel Dope is the headmaster of the band, but his brother Simon Dope left the band in 2001.
This album should satisfy the listeners of heavier versions of the nu metal style, but probably offers little fun to fans of industrial rock and industrial metal music.
(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, 07/22/2010. Proofreading: Scott M. Owens. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
PS. The rating is based on a general overview of the music and production qualities, arrangements ideas, aggression level and so on. However, this rating shouldn’t be compared to the same scale given to other albums reviewed in this magazine that have qualified to be listed as industrial rock or industrial metal. (NINa, 07/22/10)
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