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The modern sound hurts the classics but the raw live show is excellent.-
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| Pro-Pain: 20 Years of Hardcore (Audio Only) |
Groove Metal, Hardcore, Thrash
AFM Records
August 30th, 2011
- Damnation - 5:42
- Hands in the Jar - 4:06
- Someday Blood Someday - 1:30
- True Liberation - 3:56
- Foul Taste of Freedom (ft. JC Dwyer on drums) - 3:33
- Make War Not Love 2011 (ft. Eric Klinger on rhythms, JC Dwyer on drums) - 4:42
- Denial 2011 (ft. Rob Moschetti on rhythms, Mikle Hanzel on drums) - 3:24
- Shine 2011 (ft. Mike Hanzel on drums, Rob Moschetti on rhythms) - 3:39
- Keine Amnestie Fur MTV (ft. Dirk Wolfl from Engel in Zivil, Tommi and Schulle from Toxpack) - 2:53
- Unrestrained (Live in Brno) - 3:34
- Three Minutes Hate (Live in Brno) - 2:53
- Can You Feel It? (Live in Brno) - 3:05
- UnAmerican (Live in Brno) - 4:38
- Neocon (Live in Brno) - 3:00
- No Way Out (Live in Brno) - 2:38
- Fuck It (Live in Brno) - 2:29
- Draw Blood (Live in Brno) - 3:18
- The Shape of Things to Come (Live in Brno) - 2:15
- In for the Kill (Live in Brno) - 3:02
- Let the Blood Run Through the Streets (Live in Brno) - 2:16
- Foul Taste of Freedom (Live in Brno) - 3:09
- All for King George (Live in Brno) - 5:13
- Destroy the Enemy (Live in Brno) - 5:17
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| Links |
| Review Information |
Release length: 1:20:20
Review posted on September 7th, 2011
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| | Audio Overall Score: 8/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Foul Taste of Freedom (1992) • The Truth Hurts (1994) • Contents Under Pressure (1996) • Pro-Pain (1998) • Act of God (1999)
Round 6 (2000) • Shreds of Dignity (2002) • Fistful of Hate (2004) • Prophets of Doom (2005)
Age of Tyrannby - The Tenth Crusade (2007) • No End in Sight (2008) • Absolute Power (2011)
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| Single(s): |
State of Mind (1994) • Put the Lights Out (1994) • Gunya Down (1996) • Time (1998)
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| Demo(s): |
Sampler (1992)
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| Compilation(s): |
Best of Pro-Pain (1998) • Run for Cover (2003) • Best of Pro-Pain II (2005) • 20 Years of Hardcore (2011)
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| Live CD(s): |
Road Rage (2001)
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| DVD(s): |
Raw Video (2005)
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| Review |
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PLEASE NOTE: Sadly, I did not receive the accompanying DVD for this review, and this is going to be based solely on the audio compilation disc. I did request to obtain the bonus DVD or a physical copy of this review, but I guess there just was not enough physical promotional copies to go around or I acted too late to get it. I will do my best to acquire a physical copy of this so that I can include the bonus DVD in this review at a later date. |
Pro-Pain has officially hit their twentieth anniversary as a band, and what better way to celebrate it then with a new compilation release! 20 Years of Hardcore brings together both a compilation of some of the band's more well known hit songs with different performers handling different duties, four new tracks, and a live performance captured onto the compilation disc and accompanying DVD. But given the past few full-lengths, will these new renditions of their classics, as well as those four new tracks and the live tracks given their history of live material not really being widely accepted by the press or fans, actually be worth investing in this if the live material doesn't interest you?
20 Years of Hardcore starts off with four new tracks, and they are some of the best songs the band has put together in years. "Damnation" has that more intense Hardcore foundation meets Groove Metal sound to it that fans have come to know and expect from the band, showcasing some stella drumming with nice clicks in the bass kicks, loud snares and cymbol crashes with heavy guitars complimented with a present bass you can feel. The aggression in this track is nicely complimented with some harmonized vocal work for the chorus that ends up giving it a little more melody to make it an instant head bang worthy cut. The only complaint is how the song is drawn out with the chorus being repeated over and over for quite an extended amount of time before the slow fade out even begins. "Hands in the Jar" shows off more of a Hardcore Punk sound with yet another more melodic chorus, but this time a more clean singing approach for a more somber sound. "Someday Bloody Someday" also has that more Hardcore Punk sound to it, but has more of an aggressive sound to it thanks to it's faster pace until the hook-driven chorus kicks in, giving it a bit of a "Hands in the Jar" sound, but a little more authoritive instead of somber. The new tracks end with going back to the Hardcore meets Grove Metal concept shown on "Damnation" with the song "True Liberation", again having more of a commanding performance, but sticking with the hook-driven guitars for the chorus that once again eats away at some of that commanding sound, but not much considering the more subtle performance during these parts of the track. In the end all four are really enjoyable, but the first two really stand out the most with the last two still having some similarities to their predecessors that will quickly grow tiring.
After the new songs comes five re-recorded tracks, starting things off with "Foul Taste of Freedom". The audio quality, obviously, is the same as the previous two, and the song has a little more energy to it then the original, but the audio is clearly a lot different and more modern, not really having that aggressive and rawer atmosphere to it that made the song such a great track in the first place, but it still stands the test of time. The same can be said for the others in this list. "Denial" sounds great, but again the more digital modern sound causes it loose some of the raw aggression the track initially had. Of course "Shine" becomes the instant exception to this. The song still has that aggressive sound to it and what seems like an even stronger bass presence. The energy is there, it makes a strong impact and will have you banging your head right along with it, and the guitar solo that hits is simply fantastic as usual.
The remainder of this disc is songs from a live performance at The Brno. The audio quality to the tracks are pretty good, clearly being recorded from the sound board, but still having that raw trait to it which adds to the aggressive and energetic performance. Right from the second "Unrestrained" kicks in, the loud bass is felt with the guitars and it triggers an urge to mosh or dance, whatever style is yours, along with the music, especially during "Can You Feel It?" with it's thunderous performance and energy riddled sound from start to finish. Many of the songs just go right into the next as well, leaving very little space in between each song. This really keeps the energy flowing throughout the live material, and even helps give the song a little extra impact. "UnAmerican" is a great song to start with, but fans of Pro-Pain and these songs will have already had their energy amped up by the previous tracks and go head first into this one for another energetic assault. The same can be said for "No Way Out", which is just a non-stop Hardcore assault right from the start. Of course some of the latest Pro-Pain classics on here are much better then those tracks mentioned and those not. "Foul Taste of Freedom" has the most energy of all the songs and immediately will whip the listener into a frenzy, and "Destroy the Enemy" is a top notch performance of the song.
Overall, Pro-Pain is definitely celebrating their twentieth anniversary the right way. The new songs are good, though "Someday Bloody Someday" and "True Liberation" can get a little old since they are not too different from the previous two tracks, and the re-recordered songs are hit and miss due to the more modern production quality, but that's not to say they're bad and you won't enjoy them. The live tracks on here are pretty good too, and they really do give the songs that rawer sound to them that many older tracks really need to try and keep the aggressive spirit alive. The DVD looks promising too, but sadly I did not get that so cannot comment on it, but as far as the audio goes, it's a nice release for fans of Pro-Pain, casual or hardcore, and one to definitely look into.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
AFM Records.
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