Pull Request for regression_test branch

Several of the changes here are simply adding new tests and/or updates to the Makefiles. There is little need to review these as changes will be coming to both in the coming few weeks.

The significant changes in this branch are to .gitlab-ci.yml and .metrics.json. I have moderate confidence in the changes, as they are supporting regressions successfully. However, both would benefit from a review before merging to the master branch.