Death metal vet Marcus Hammarstrom has been perfecting his operatic black-industrial alter ego since the turn of the 2000s, and REGENT SIE is no doubt his ultimate statement. Balancing several-minute symphonic-thrash epics like opener "Mortal Man & The King" with Mercyful Fate-inspired speed-metal bursts such as "Rekindle Self," the nearly 20-track offering is as adventurous an attempt at brutal beauty as it gets in the world of metal. Hammarstrom's sinister screams may distract listeners from REGENT'S more regal aspects, but it deserves credit as an accomplished work that takes as much from headbanging tradition as it does classical orchestration.
