When I discovered the joys of speed metal and grindcore in
college, I think what drew me to the music was the brutal intensity
of groups like Napalm Death, Slayer and Naked City (though Naked
City was not strictly a grindcore band, just the ones that tripped
the switch for me).
As I’ve gone forward in my musical journey of life, I’ve learned
that speed is not always necessary for that level of intensity.
Pantera showed me that around the time of
Far Beyond Driven, and now Pro-Pain is showing me that with
their latest release
Act Of God. Gary Meskil and crew weren’t the first band to
play this style of music, but they are the ones who raised it to a
whole new level.
The group – vocalist/bassist Meskil, guitarists Tom Klimchuck
and Eric Klinger, and drummer Eric Matthews – know that the key to
their style of heavy metal is to lay a groove into the intense
rhythms they pound out. Anyone can strap on guitars, turn the
amplifiers up so high that you’re slammed into the wall from the
comfort of your easy chair, and bark out vocals; hell, some
throw-away bands have made a career of doing just that. What
separates Pro-Pain from the pack is that they know how to write a
song that makes you tap your foot in time with your
headbanging.
One such example of this mastery is on the track “Act Of God”.
Everything is clicking right for the band, from the infectious
verse riffs to the bridge, leading to a chorus that crushes
whatever is left of your nervous system. What is also impressive is
that Klimchuck and Klinger realize that you can say volumes with
your guitar playing without trying to play a million notes in a
20-second solo, or by trying to snap the guitar neck in half. There
is quite a bit of musical sensibility contained in this song, and
it shows the skeptics that metal can be well-written.
Similarly, “Stand Tall,” “In For The Kill” and “Pride” all stand
out among their peers as being solid tracks. In fact, I’d be hard
pressed to say there was a single weak track on
Act Of God… and do I dare say that there is actually a
poppy chorus on “I Remain,” though in a molten-lead sort of
way?
A relatively short album (twelve tracks clock in at just under
36 minutes), Pro-Pain throw everything they have into
Act Of God, and the end result is anything but a natural
disaster; rather, it’s a solid metal album that is a great primer
for anyone who wants to discover the brutal power of this genre.
I’ve heard some talk that this album still doesn’t measure up to
Foul Taste Of Freedom, which I haven’t had the pleasure of
hearing (yet). If this is true, just imagine what this band is
capable of!
