Dope’s last album, American Apathy (2005), was kind of like a greatest hits album with all new songs. It took what Dope does best and placed it front and center, mixing infectious hooks with abrasive heaviness. No Regrets, the band’s fifth album, builds on that and adds to it heightened musicianship. Frontman and band namesake Edsel Dope (the only constant in the band’s ever-changing lineup) took his time on No Regrets and it shows. It’s the best Dope album yet.

I don’t know who is playing which part—the guitars are credited to both Edsel and his longtime guitarist/songwriting partner Virus—but the unforgettable leads and searing solos virtually leap out of the speakers. One would guess that Virus is the one doing most of the heavy lifting. Anyone who heard Black-N-Blues Vol. 1, the album he did a few years ago with his brother under the name The Virus Network, knows what he is capable of. It’s exciting to finally hear him turned loose in Dope. Check out the amazing lead on “Best for Me” and the Randy Rhoads-like shredding at the song’s finale.

But don’t get the wrong idea—this is still very much a Dope album. Songs like “6 6 Sick” (a hook so obvious yet ingenious I’m surprised no one else thought of it first), the anthemic “We Are” and the surefire mosh-pit favorite “Violence” are exactly what a longtime Dope fan would expect and want from this band. The first single, “Addiction,” featuring guitar god Zakk Wylde (you can hear a Zakk influence in the playing on some of the other songs, as well), rivals “Bitch” from Group Therapy (2003) as far as showcasing Dope’s grooving, melodic side. Its refrain of “She’s cocaine, heroin, alcohol and Vicodin/She’s my addiction” is, um, addictive.

What makes No Regrets such a smashing success is that it retains the essence of Dope—the swagger, the sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll attitude, the heaviness, the hooks—while developing and maturing the sound at the same time. This kind of progression more than a decade into a band’s career is rare and should be applauded. I can’t wait to hear what’s next.