I knew a little bit about Regulations before I snagged their first 7", "Destroy", back in 2003. I knew it was three of the members of E.T.A. I knew it was coming out on Busted Heads in Sweden, a counterpart to 625 Productions in the Bay Area, or Havoc in Minneapolis, or Amendment down in Virginia, all of which were putting out amazing, modern thrash. And I knew they were from the cradle of modern Swedish punk, Umeå, an incestuous, delightful hive of some of the most progressive DIY punk and hardcore on the planet. They were setting trends; we were lapping it all up.
But I didn't know that what I'd hear was more of a throwback to the early 80s, more influenced by the Lower East Side than skateboards. It was so amazingly fresh, due in no small part to the bass sound developed by this dude Robert who'd signed on with the trio of ex-E.T.A.'ers. It was fast but clean, something you could dance AND sing along to. It kinda felt magical.
Regulations records came in fits and starts. They'd released another, self-titled 7" on Malmö's Putrid Filth Conspiracy. Then, in 2005, Havoc put out a 12" & CD, collecting both 7"s and a new mini-album, "Electric Guitar", in support of their first North American tour. I listened to that record non-stop all summer long, into the fall, through into 2006 and beyond. After all, if you're going to let kids channel a band like the Dils and lock them in a house through a long Scandinavian winter, you're probably going to get something worth listening to.
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