Those fans who are only familiar with Peter Tagtgren's other band Hypocrisy will be in for a complete surprise upon first hearing his other project Pain. Forget the raging yet melodic and technical death metal of Hypocrisy, as Pain combine industrial metal with bubbling electronics, danceable techno beats, and gothic overtones to form a very unique listening experience. 2001's Rebirth is a stunner from start to finish, and a real testament to Peter's many abilities as a musician, writer, and producer.
How often can you say that you can dance to metal music? Well, throw on the futuristic "Delusions" at a party and get ready for the rave to begin with all the techno beats, huge fuzz-toned guitars, and spacey keyboard effects. "Suicide Machine" is a pure gothic meets progressive rock anthem, with slamming guitar riffs and 80's new wave styled synths fighting for supremacy against Tagtgren's aggressive vocals, and "End of the Line" is a catchy hard rocker with melodies galore. The tone of "Supersonic Bitch" approaches thrash (one of the albums heavier and more raucous tracks), while "Parallel To Ecstasy" is pure gothic mayhem, dripping with melancholy thanks to the effects laden vocals and haunting synths. One of the my favorite tracks is the full-on rave attack of "On and On", a song that is sure to get your blood boiling with its cranking guitar riffs and symphonic yet spacey keyboards, plus the hooks are just killer. Tagtgren's huge walls of guitars set the stage on "Dark Fields of Pain" and "Crashed", two songs that again have a gothic edge to them, in almost a Type O Negative sort of way, with some spooky vocals and chilling synths to go along with the mechanized rhythms.
Listening to Pain and Hypocrisy back to back is like night and day, but if you appreciate the talents of Peter Tagtgren you should be able to find much to like in both bands. Pain offers up a nice break from the crushing and manic sounds of Hypocrisy, and the question in my mind is how come this band hasn't broken huge in the US yet?
Track Listing
1. Supersonic Bitch
2. End Of The Line
3. Breathing In, Breathing Out
4. Delusions
5. Suicide Machine
6. Parallel To Ecstasy
7. On And On
8. 12:42
9. Crashed
10. Dark Fields Of Pain
11. She Whipped
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