PRO-PAIN „Foul Taste of Freedom”

When I first heard this band back in '93 they really knocked me off my feet. While Biohazard (a band I ”discovered” simultaneously) played heavy and somewhat rap-influenced hardcore the guys from Pro-Pain represented a more rock-fueled metalcore that in many senses reminded of thrashmetal at it's best. The vocals of Gary Meskil are growl-like and the rifforama is pretty harsh but yet groovy and in a way melodic. The pace is mostly mid-tempo with some up-tempo punk-like passages. The song structures are kept simple with some transitions and space for solos. I guess this is the perfect music if you're a slam dancing mosh pit pogo-freak. Many hardcore fans will certaily find this music way too metal but I think you should give it a try.

While the music is one side of hardcore music, the lyrics are certainly the other. Pro-pain, just like Biohazard, show a social and political awareness that many metal bands seem to lack. Song titles such as ”Foul Taste of Freedom” and ”Iraqnophobia” pretty much speak for themselves.

Pro-Pain have released several albums but I guess that this is their best to date. Unfortunatelly the band hasn't developed throughout the years and on their last album (”Round 6”) they are pretty much repeating themselves. My final statement should be: What could've become one of the best bands in metalcore turned into a Gary Meskil ego-trip. If you like this album check out the other ones as well and especially ”Contents Under Pressure” that is the second best album.

note: 9 of 10