Instant Impressions: 'Regeneration Machine' by ALPHAMEGA

After several years in the making, the Los Angeles-based alternative hard rock band ALPHAMEGA have released their debut full-length album, Regeneration Machine. The group first hit the scene in 2019 with their debut single, “Lords of the Flies” and followed up in January of 2022 with the massive “No Longer Broken.” A string of subsequent single releases resulted in the release of their debut EP, Between Light and Shadow, Vol. 1 last August. After a few more singles, their debut album, Regeneration Machine, has now seen the light of day, featuring 13 tracks comprised of a mix of previously-released singles and brand new material. If you enjoy the album or have yet to hear it and are curious of what to expect, feel free to listen along with me and follow my real-time reactions here:

1. To The Wolves (3:55)

• Already hooked within the first 30 seconds – starting off strong with a heavy riff and harsh vocals

• Big shift in energy from the verse to the chorus – equally catchy though

  • After the verse, I wasn’t expecting ANY falsettos in this song, but it works well in the chorus

• Love the transition from the chorus back to the verse, both musically and vocally

• The bridge might have my favorite lyrics of the whole song

2. Pariah (3:40)

• From the jump, it’s easy to understand why this was a single – it’s made for radio, and I mean that in the best way possible
• I don’t know how often this comparison is made, if at all, but I can’t get over how much vocalist Adam Ryan reminds me of Misfits bassist/vocalist Jerry Only – his clean vocals sound so similar a lot of the time, and this chorus is probably the best example of that
• Love the drums in the bridge (shoutout to drummer Chrissy Warner)
• The symphonic elements throughout the song are a real nice touch as well

3. To Be Human (3:24)

• FANTASTIC transition at 0:25-27 *chef’s kiss*
• From the opening to the first chorus, the way the song sonically elevates little by little until it explodes into the chorus is great to hear – I love when bands make songs like that
• Love the guitar work after the first chorus, as well as the slightly heavier musical shift in the second verse
• Wasn’t expecting a breakdown in a song like these, but good lord I’m glad there IS one
• Out of the singles released ahead of the album, this song probably has my favorite lyrics from beginning to end out of all the other tracks

4. Sound of Your Excuse (3:01)

• The underlying synths in the intro are a nice touch, and it’s nice that it’s not present enough to be distracting from how hard-hitting the drums and guitars are
• The guitars and drums really are the MVPs of this track – can’t get enough of that kick
• There’s no way that song was three minutes long, that flew by WAY too fast

5. Good To Be Numb (3:45)

• As much as I love the fast and heavy side of hard rock/metal music, it’s nice to hear an acoustic guitar for a bit
• Love how big the chorus sounds in comparison to the verses
• It’s wild how even during softer/more melodic songs, the band still finds a way to kick things back into high gear both musically and vocally (2:35-58)

6. Eye of Horus (3:05)

• While the first ten seconds are different from everything so far, you just know that something’s about to hit the wall

  • Update (0:11): I was right – I love how much the low end of the guitars compliment the synths

• The beats in the verse are interesting, super smooth transition back into the traditional rock sound too

• Super nice meter change from 1:32-45

• It’s fun when you think a song ends and then it just gets heavier (2:46-3:00)

7. Annihilator (3:31)

• You can tell this is going to hit hard solely because of how distorted the guitars are in the first ten seconds
• Love the second half of the verses from a lyrical standpoint
• One thing to appreciate is just how unrelentingly heavy the song is from beginning to end – Ryan’s vocals are never missing an ounce of grit, and neither is the band
• This is a song that would be right at home playing over the speakers in every gym and fitness center possible

8. The War (3:32)

• The symphonic elements and vocal layers around the first minute mark help make things feel more full and rounded out
• Love the bit-by-bit additions of beats to traditional percussion, as well as the layering of guitars
• We love acoustic solos

9. Late to the Party (3:15)

• This was one of my favorite singles from the band when it first came out last summer, and it still hits just as hard today
• The drums in the verse make it extremely difficult to not nod your head
• How can you not love this chorus?!

10. Snake in the Grass (2:54)

• Love the high energy right from the beginning, along with the sort of alternative punk melody of the verses
• The aggression of the chorus is awesome – with a lot of modern hard rock/metal bands, it’s easy to get used to the formula of having the verse more aggressive and the chorus more melodic and catchy, so it’s fun when things are switched up
• AWESOME breakdown!

11. A World Afraid of Tomorrow (3:45)

• The energy of the opening verse feels like a modern version of “Wasted Years” by Cold
• Can’t get over the drums in the choruses
• Fantastic vocals in the bridge, arguably the strongest performance on the whole album to this point

12. No Longer Broken (3:19)

• Ah yes, the song that started it all – personal story, I became an ALPHAMEGA fan before the release of this single in late 2021/early 2022
• Love the pulsing beat of the drums in the second half of the verses
• It’s hard to not have this chorus stuck in your head – it comes back to me at the most random times
• Love the added vocals in the second half of the breakdown

13. Neon Casket (4:17)

• Very early-2000s type of intro with the guitars, gotta love it
• Only up to the second chorus and it’s easy to see why this is the album closer – there’s just something about it that gives it that epic kind of energy
• Not to suggest that any of the songs on this album sounded just like one another, but this feels like the sonic outlier of the album – VERY MUCH meant as a compliment, by the way

ALPHAMEGA is a band that does a great job of combining their influences to create a cohesive sound that one can identify as their own. Each song on this album, along with other previously-released singles that didn’t make the cut, sound distinctly different from each other and have a life of their own, yet flow well from one to the next when placed in the context of an album or EP. This full-length also shows how capable they are of executing an array of musical tones – they’ve mastered the hard-hitting and in-your-face tone that the genre is known for, but they also flex their muscles by exploring the softer and more melodic side with ballads and mid-tempo tracks. If you’re someone who enjoys finding new music and is constantly on the hunt for new bands to get into, look no further than ALPHAMEGA.

The band is currently on the road in support of Halocene and Lauren Babic on the “Maleficent” Tour, ALPHAMEGA, with the final show taking place on June 15 at Jack Rabbits Live in Jacksonville, FL. 

After the first listen, my top 3 standout tracks are:

• “To Be Human”
• “Good To Be Numb”
• “Neon Casket”

If you listened along and also enjoyed the album, you can buy/stream Regeneration Machine here.

To keep up with the band’s tour dates and buy their merch, click here.

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