Pain – Coming Down
Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: September 9th, 2016
Review By: Matt Bolton
When you have multiple musical projects on the go and seven albums under your belt, it’s hard to remain consistent, but Swedish mastermind Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy) manages it with great skill. He sticks true to form with his Industrial brainchild, PAIN on their eighth offering, Coming Home.
Kicking things off with the fast paced opener Designed To Piss You Off, it almost has a horror punk feel to it, and becomes more enjoyable the more you listen to it. Album highlights soon come with the second track, Call Me. It is a pure industrial genius. Peter’s vocals improve with each release. The chorus is catchy, and the riffs pack more punches than Mike Tyson. Hard hitting riffs don’t let up even when the pace slows down with A Wannabe, possibly the catchiest tune on the album. This is followed up by the stomping, Pain In The Ass which is the closest to Peter’s collaboration with Til Lindemann (Rammstein) with their project, Lindemann, with sleazy, tongue in cheek references such as ‘slapping girls’ asses’ and ‘tits as big as Africa’. This is a fun song and goes to show music can be heavy while not taking itself too seriously.
First single Black Light Satellite is a well-structured symphonic anthem that shows why PAIN has toured and collaborated with such big names as Nightwish. The title track, Coming Home is a mature song with its acoustic guitar giving a chilled feel, proving Peter can write a damn good song.
Absinthe Phoenix Rising is another highlight, and it’s a hard rocking gem. Peter’s clean vocals soar, and it’s probably the least industrial song on the album. However, it still fits in well with the vibe of the album.
Final Crusade is a marching anthem with a beast of a breakdown that will prepare you for World War III. My personal favourite is Natural Born Idiot who has it all: an industrial soundscape, female backing vocals towards the end, deafening screams, and riffs as thick as female dancer’s rumps on a rap video.
You would be well encouraged to check out the PAIN back catalogue, as they have been putting out worthy material since 1997’s self-titled debut. With the last album, You Only Live Twice, coming out five years ago it would be safe to say that Coming Down was worth the wait. Now here’s to some new Hypocrisy!