Review: “Regime” by Juliet Ruin

Produced by Juliet Ruin and Diego Fernandez (Art Of Attrition, Grand Mal, Fall Of Earth) who also mixed and mastered at Oracle Recording Studios in Alberta, a forth studio record from Canadian’s Juliet Ruin is an intriguing prospect. The five piece have long drawn comparisons to the likes of Jinjer, Infected Rain, Butcher Babies and even The Agonist with their hybrid blend of brutal breakdowns, pop-infused melodies and unfiltered emotion, their sound both technically sharp and progressive leaning. Artwork created by Feen Murray that uses the abstract imagery of skulls and hearts to reflect the tension between emotionality and overthinking, creating a visual metaphor for the records lyrical core adorns the record, offering a tantalizing glimpse into what is contained within.

On “Poems By a Poltergeist” the band share: “This song came straight from the pages of Jess’ journal. It’s about feeling like a ghost in your own life, angry, disconnected, and searching for meaning”

Bouncy Progressive Metalcore riffs with haunting leads ignite the flames of the record with opening track “Reactance Theory“, a masterclass in creating a tune with a hummable melody and melancholic overtones that is also infectious. Jess Fleming’s haunting clean vocals help create a chorus that you might find yourself singing along with on the first listen, her introspective lyrics resonating almost immediately. The step up to harsh uncleans in the final third of the track helps push the message in the lyrical narrative home, a real anger at the situation she finds herself in coming across with the emotive nature of the performance. Going straight for the throat “Chrysalis” hits heavy straight out of the gate with chugging staccato riff breaks in a satisfyingly crunchy tone and a ferocious opening verse. This time around the harsh verse, clean chorus pattern is chosen but with longer instrumental passages that result in something punchy and yet captivating. Fleming pushes herself vocally in both extremes, an almost operatically tinged clean bridge as stunning as the deeper, darker death growls that follow. The musicianship is impeccable, the quality of the songs a half step above the bands previous offerings with a clear evolution in all directions.

On “Reactance Theory” the band comment: “This song came together with a lot of input from each member. Wes [Rands, guitars] brought in the initial hook guitar lead, and we built it piece by piece. It’s probably one of the most collaboratively written songs we’ve ever done”

Dirge laden guitars and thunderous percussion gives the vicious “Poems By a Poltergeist” a punishing edge, the quintets insistence on returning to melody part of what makes their sound so great. Here they do so more fleetingly than most but the way they’re able to twist and contort with clever musicianship and slick transitions is to be admired. One second Fleming is roaring like a banshee over some brutal riffs and the next melodic leads have rich cleans floating over them, very much beast to beauty and back with a majestic ebb and flow. A powerful statement piece “The Art of Being Wise” points the fickle finger of fate lyrically while reminding of New Zealand natives Devilskin with its bold vocal performance and tribal drum fills. A couple of blistering tempo changes and some scorching leads add fuel to the fire and it has to be said, its an obvious American Hard Rock Radio hit, even with a couple of harsh vocal lines in the mix. Title track “Regime” brings the curtain down in style with groove laden Nu-Metal tinged guitars and an introspective lyrical narrative, almost spoken word clean vocals seamlessly conjoined to throat splitting ones giving it a schizophrenic quality. Balancing the melodic and the heavy to perfection while creating an air of tension you can cut with the knife, the title track is once again a masterwork from a band in their element. The only issue with this is that at just over twenty minutes it leaves you crying for more [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Reactance Theory
2. Chrysalis
3. Poems By a Poltergeist
4. The Art of Being Wise
5. Regime

“Regime” by Juliet Ruin is out 24th October 2025 and maybe available over at bandcamp