The New Regime's 'Heart, Mind, Body & Soul' album review: A glorious mix of all that can be expected from a musical maestro
The New Regime have released the full-length of 'Heart, Mind, Body & Soul' on March 6, following the release of the studio album's third part 'Body' which released on January 24.
Let it be known that The New Regime is actually one person - American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Ilan Rubin. The 31-year-old artist manned every instrument in this 16-track epic production and he should be deemed nothing less than a musical maestro! The New Regime is teh side project of the very busy artist, who also is the drummer for Tom DeLonge's band Angels & Airwaves as well as for Nine Inch Nails.
Rubin has had an extensive career as a drummer since entering the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest person to play at Woodstock at age 11, performing for bands like Paramore, Muse, Lostprophets, The Killers, Alice in Chains and many more. Rubin is considered one of the world's most sought-after modern drummers, and yet, The New Regime proves the highly talented artist is only just beginning.
In an interview with MEAWW, Rubin explained that he cleverly decided to release 'Heart, Mind, Body & Soul' in parts. "I feel like there's a great listening experience for those who want to listen to it in chunks as well as those who want to sit down and listen to the entire thing from top to bottom," he says.
With each part, we get an explosive taste of what The New Regime is about even though we may find ourselves intriguingly involved in a single question: "Is it all the same guy?"
There are moments where the vocals range from the Lostprophets to even momentary flashbacks of Freddie Mercury of Queen amidst snippets of the similarly haunting grungy vocals of Trent Reznor from NIN. It is as though Rubin has concocted a powerful mix of genres with influences from some of the bands he's worked with and adjusted the vocal style accordingly, which is not an easy task to pull off while still sounding exclusively like The New Regime vocalist.
In songs like 'Sweet Kind of Suffering' and the album's first track, 'A Way to Feel Again', we hear the NIN influences while the latter opens with an eerie warping instrumental and drum machine beat. Rubin sings in a pop rock tone on the first track before bursting into the chorus which carries a harmonized Queen-esque chorus, in vocal similarity to the following track 'Surreal Disaster' which detonates into a funked-up melody; catchy bassline, twanging guitar riffs and all. In 'Surreal Disaster' we get a prelude hint to the album's common rock themes.
One needs to note the phenomenal basslines found in songs like 'You Can Be (Whoever You Want to Be)', 'Smoke & Mirrors' and 'Do Right By Me' which are downright groovy, let alone get-up-off-your-feet-and-rock-out catchy. In songs like 'Feel No Pain', 'Smoke & Mirrors' and the previously mentioned 'Surreal Disaster' we are left to fathom how Rubin has orchestrated perfectly synced-up music which reveals how truly brilliant an artist he is.
In the interview Rubin said, "I've spent my entire life, practically, performing, playing, learning music on different instruments. So, the reason why I do it all is because I play these instruments well and I know exactly how to execute what it is that I'm looking for." Rubin is in constant harmony with himself on every song and it feels like an injustice to not speak about every song as a potential hit.
In 'I'll Never Let You Let Me Down' we get a rhythmic melodic number with an opening reflecting themes of the Australian indie rock band Evermore, yet the chorus vibrates your chest cavity in Muse tones. Rubin has added a perfect selection of slow songs on 'Heart, Mind, Body & Soul'. In the song 'Tell Me What You Want', we hear the resonance of Radiohead as Rubin sings more romantically and in 'She Had Me Wrong', a melancholic guitar plays as Rubin changes his vocal tone to a darker romantic theme.
Read Ilan Rubin's interview on modern music here.
Read Rubin's interview on ''Heart, Mind, Body & Soul' here.