Independent
Out Now
Words by Greg Walker
A great aspect of writing about music is that you create the opportunity to expose yourself to the wide range of styles and genres under our heavy metal banner. One day I’m reviewing fun horror punk, the next a new Aussie groovegrind classic, the next I’m asked to check out an innovative melodeath duo hailing from Helsinki. Before I even check it out, I have a preconceived notion of what I’m in for, the Scandinavians having a rich history of producing quality melodic death metal. Finland’s Praise My Pain‘s debut EP To Die Today has some wonderful surprises in store.
My curiosity is immediately rewarded with the opening title track To Die Today, the classic sound we’d expect, integrated with modern elements; an electronic beat and industrial samples take us into a cool groovy riff that cleverly expands ever so gradually and morphs into full-blown double kick backed death metal. Pulling up just long enough to segue straight into Poison Me, the groovy riff angle would seem to be a characteristic, and a welcome one. Exploding to mete out a classic death metal attack, there’s enough going on here to snare and hold your attention. Wearing their influences on their sleeve, I hear classic In Flames and At The Gates, but Praise My Pain is delivering without imitating. Packed with an array of riffs, deep bends, and a wild solo, To Die Today and Poison Me display a musicianship and sense for compositions more proficient than I’d expected for a band on debut.
Stains continues to prove the duo’s aim is clearly to build on the wider scope of dynamic avenues available to them, rather than churn out flat-out impersonations of what has come before. Entirely capable, smooth and naturally composed, vocalist Topi Seppälä and guitarist Taneli Puotiniemi continue to betray that they have obvious experience between them that makes me curious as to their previous projects. It would be interesting to check out what’s brought them to this EP. Stains is an emotionally driven, heavy-hearted ode to internal conflicts, perfectly conveying the despondent dark clouds we all walk beneath to some degree.
Saving the best for last, Cut Your Wings is the clear standout. Similar only in feel, Cut Your Wings starts with a clean guitar that made me immediately remember Metallica‘s Fade To Black intro. The short-lived solace bursts open to a glorious, frenzied assault with melodic dual guitar reprieves, a piano massaging a hint of regret to a tale of inflicting violence on others. A spiralling final solo is too short, leaving a lonely silence in the heart once we’re done. An excellent finish to a brief introduction to Praise My Pain.
Offering something more by combining thrash and groove with the Gothenburg styles and straightforward traditional American death metal, Praise My Pain aren’t shying away from including outsider elements, a trait that will serve them well in a scene flooded with run-of-the-mill groups churning out material that could very well be all the same band. I feel like I’ve jumped in on the ground floor of something that has the potential to develop into a force to be reckoned with in the scene.
One point I’d like to make: I’d be looking forward to a fuller production sound on future releases; their style and material could benefit from a much beefier punch to their Scandinavian crunch. Having said that, the Finns have made the most of the four tracks on offer here, gaining themselves a new follower, and I look forward to more of what To Die Today hints is possible.
