Pain, the 'alter-ego' of Peter Tagtgren's main band Hypocrisy, for some inexplicable reason, has never really caught on here in the US. Listening to the opening cut "I'm Going In" on Pain's latest (and first for Nuclear Blast) Cynic Paradise, it's hard to imagine why the catchy, industrial metal attack of this band never clicked with US metal fans. Perhaps it's due to the fact that Tagtgren always made his death metal act Hypocrisy more of a priority here, but in actuality, regardless of how great a band Hypocrisy is, it's Pain that has the goods for mainstream acceptance.
From song to song, Cynic Paradise is a treasure trove of bubbly, crunchy, appealing metal tracks. "Monkey Business" instantly will get you jumping up and down and pumping your fist in the air, as the futuristic synths and heavy riffs give way to Tagtgren's alluring clean vocals for one hell of a catchy industrial metal anthem. The same can be said for "Follow Me", a seemingly radio ready cut that also features some fine vocals from Nightwish singer Anette Olzon. The Nightwish leading lady also appears on "Feed Us", as she is almost giving us a teaser for a future album from the Finnish symphonic metal legends. Other highlights include the almost Southern Rock bluesy swagger of "Have a Drink On Me", the blistering techno-metal of "Don't Care", the space-age sounding "Generation-X", and the grinding, catchy industrial metal monster "Not Your Kind".
Peter Tagtgren is in fine form here on Cynic Paradise. Not only is the production spot on (this really is a great sounding release), but Peter's vocals and guitars are expertly done. Next to Devin Townsend's latest, Cynic Paradise is probably one of the more fun metal albums to come out in 2010. Hopefully US audiences get a chance to hear what Pain is all about and get in on the fun.
Note-the North American edition of Cynic Paradise contains a bonus live performance, recorded in Paris on their recent tour, and contains old and new favorites.
Track Listing
Disc 1:
01. I'm Going In
02. Monkey Business
03. Follow Me
04. Have A Drink On Me
05. Don't Care
06. Reach Out (And Regret)
07. Generation X
08. No One Knows
09. Live Fast / Die Young
10. Not Your Kind
11. Feed Us
Disc 2 (Live In Paris):
01. Intro / I'm Going In
02. End Of The Line
03. Zombie Slam
04. Just Hate Me
05. Same Old Song
06. Monkey Business
07. On And On
08. Shut Your Mouth
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