Out May 15, 2026
Via Napalm Records
Words by: Kyra Jade Coombs
PRO-PAIN are back! This may be their debut album with Napalm Records but make no mistake, this hardcore band are proper New York royalty. Come to think of it, they pre-date my very existence and I’m realising at this moment that I have absolutely no damn business reviewing this album… Anyway, perhaps they may have flown under your radar and are, in my opinion, grossly underappreciated for their role in exploring & expanding traditional hardcore by not being afraid to blend groove or heavy metal into the mix. Go for a dig in their archives and I personally guarantee that you’ll be so pumped up you could flip a bus like it was nothing.
For me it’s simple. I don’t care what country, state or planet it comes from… I just fucking love hardcore. Now, I’m aware that Reddit warriors love to argue they are not hardcore at base level, and look, to be honest I’ve decided to dig my heels in and stand by what flows through my brain when I think of PRO-PAIN, ya’ll can nerd out all you want over who is more knowledgeable on such subjects. I’m just writing from my heart here.
Finding out that after eleven years PRO-PAIN are giving us thirsty fans exactly what we didn’t know we needed in the form of a 10 track album is something to get excited about. Hopes are high and I can only cross my fingers that Stone Cold Anger is a natural continuation of their hard as fuck repertoire.
Track one Oceans of Blood rolls on in like an old mate you haven’t seen in a while or a familiar sound that instantly puts you at ease. Any curiosity about what this album will sound like is quickly put back in its box. It’s a PRO-PAIN album. It’s concise, intentional and hard all the way! It’s the goosebumps you get down your legs when you smell a freshly popped tube of tennis balls. It’s, (insert another strange – yet accurate – analogy here.) Oceans of Blood was enough to let me know two things; the volume will remain maxed out and the next 30.78 minutes of my life now belong to PRO-PAIN.
Before you know it your provided the perfect ‘play through’ album scenario and now Uncle Sam Wants You. What for? Ask the boys. This track sounds like you should be playing it LOUD in an underground smokey dive bar with Lemmy helping out on vocals. I appreciate the flow of the album and how they manage to integrate different genres into the puzzle seamlessly.
Jonestown Punch will give you exactly that. The tempo goes up, and gives way to space where you can let loose that signature – perfectly choreographed two-step move you reserve for only special occasions. Sky’s the Limit has been chosen to carry the torch home, thus signalling the end of Stone Cold Anger, although not without one last singalong with the band of course.
Life has been dealing a harsh hand lately and this album couldn’t have come through at a better time for me. This is why I love music. I really enjoyed this album and will happily add it to my eclectic music roster.
This whole review was intended to be light-hearted and off the cuff so I will leave you with a summary of how Stone Cold Anger will make you feel. You could also take this as a warning, depending on your dichotomy I guess…
‘PRO-PAIN. Just like Propane…won’t leave a residue, but will leave you feeling fucking filthy.‘
Until next time, legends!
TRACKLIST
01 – Oceans of Blood 3:38
02 – Stone Cold Anger 3:28
03 – March of the Giants 3:43
04 – Uncle Sam Wants You 3:33
05 – Demonic Intervention 3:26
06 – Rinse & Repeat 3:54
07 – Hell or High Water 2:53
08 – Scorched Earth 2:42
09 – Jonestown Punch 2:56
10 – Sky’s the Limit 3:05
