PRO-PAIN
The Final Revolution
Steamhammer (2013)
Rating: 8/10
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For my money, Pro-Pain are one of the best kept secrets in heavy music. They have consistently made excellent albums that tap the vein raised by NYC hardcore and thrash bands like Anthrax, S.O.D. and Exodus. Their sound is heavy and pounding, topped off with raging and understandable lyrics grunted by mainman Gary Meskil. Unafraid to tackle injustice, Pro-Pain have been raging against the machine much longer than most bands and have never stopped to even take a breath.
Much like other Pro-Pain albums, The Final Revolution is a blistering attack on the corruption of society as told through 12 pummeling hardcore tunes.
While the band’s last couple of albums have been a bit thrashier, this one slows it down ever so slightly, allowing the lyrics to move closer to centre stage while re-introducing some of the groove and bounce of the band’s first three albums. This aspect of the band has always been there but Meskil lets it shine a little more here.
While opener ‘Deathwish’ bounces the album into existence with a growl, it fails to really ignite the listener in my opinion. It’s pretty typical Pro-Pain but it doesn’t stick to your ribs so much. ‘One Shot, One Kill’ rectifies the situation quickly though with a machine-gun, guitar-led, pit-loving nightmare that will practically force you to re-listen as soon as it’s over. It’s got an almost rap style vocal piece to it that reminds me an awful lot of the New York band’s debut and best known work Foul Taste Of Freedom (1992).
‘Can’t Stop The Pain’ takes the same approach and, to be honest, I’d almost forgotten how well Meskil pulls off that sound. It’s got a rap cadence but sounds nothing like what we would refer to as rap rock. ‘Mass Extinction’ has a more straightforward vocal, but musically backs up the other two songs in offering that early Pro-Pain sound, iced by its twin guitar solo.
There is plenty of take-no-prisoners Pro-Pain tunes here as well. The title track is one of the best examples as the riff heavy guitars are pushed forward by the nonstop motion of the drums and bass. ‘Under The Gun’ and ‘Emerge’ are much the same, carrying on that NYC hardcore aspect of the band that diehards have to come love over the years, but never reaching the songwriting heights of the title track in my opinion.
As far as bad songs go, there aren’t really any here. Some songs are fairly forgettable but they serve their purpose in the moment though. The two I just mentioned above come to mind as does the awkward sound of ‘Want Some?’, which also boasts some of the early rap-ish sound that bands like Ill Niño and Soulfly stole early on. It’s a little corny in my opinion but I’d also consider it the only real misstep here.
If you enjoy Pro-Pain you’ll definitely enjoy this. It’s a bit more dynamic than the band’s new millennium albums and for that many fans of their early works will likely be drawn back in. Don’t hesitate to give this one a chance if you haven’t been following along in this millennium.
Mark Fisher
