Pain – Cynic Paradise

originally released October 31, 2008

re-released June 8, 2010 on Nuclear Blast Records

Rating: 2.5/5

Side projects in the Metal world usually form to either flesh out––or experiment with––enigmatic aspects of one’s personality. Pain is the result of Peter Tägtgren’s love for industrial metal, reportedly inspired by Fear Factory‘s Soul of a New Machine. Frankly, his attention is better devoted to the celebrated death metal of Hypocrisy.

Rarely do the songs pack the vicious bite of heavyweights like Ministry, and half of Cynic Paradise sounds sloughed off of Stabbing Westward. Tägtgren’s vocal pitch is actually uncomfortably close to Christopher Hall, which is probably why I drew the comparison. “I’m Going In” starts things off deceptively strong, and the programming is more seamlessly integrated (though I did not like the cliché ‘record scratch’ ending). “Monkey Business” is just as nasty, with a catchier chorus that drops a couple of cuss words for radio folks like me to dance around.

“Follow Me” is the first of two duets with Annette Olzon of Nightwish; Tägtgren has gotten friendly with the band since Hypocrisy toured with them in early 2008, as did Pain in early 2009. In fact, the North American version of Cynic Paradise will have a bonus live CD recorded on March 23-24, 2009 at the Zenith in Paris, during the band’s European tour with Nightwish. However, the version I reviewed had a standard track listing, with the bonus ELO cover that I did not find particularly interesting.

“Don’t Care” is improved by David Wallin’s live drums, and I would urge Tägtgren to consider this option in the future. The MF-bomb is easily bleeped, and I would be more inclined to play it, if not for the abrupt early finish. At thirty seconds shorter than any other track here, it feels unfortunately skeletal. “No One Knows” has a similar problem: the chorus is almost unbearably addictive, but it feels like it was written first, with the rest of the song as mere afterthought.

Honestly, I do not require this band in my discography apart from passing knowledge of Peter Tägtgren’s work. But he is not on my completist menu, so this Pain is getting bottled and buried.

FCC: 2, 5, 6, 10

Try 1, 7, 8, 11

01. I’m Going In

02. Monkey Business

03. Follow Me

04. Have A Drink On Me

05. Don’t Care

06. Reach Out (And Regret)

07. Generation X

08. No One Knows

09. Live Fast / Die Young

10. Not Your Kind

11. Feed Us

12. Here’s The News (Electric Light Orchestra cover)

Songs written, mixed, and produced by Marcelo E. Quinonez. Band is based out of Seattle interestingly, and they play afro latin rock tinged with exploration into ska, reggae, cumbia, etc. Vocals in Spanish and English. Really tight musicianship—good music for this time of year.

Debut album from this Brooklyn based alto saxophonist. All instrumentals. Gastelum has lent a notable contribution to the Brooklyn neo soul scene—he has played with Sharon Jones, The Budos Band, and others on Daptone. That combined with some obvious Eddie Harris (electrified saxophone :) ) and Mulatu Astatke (+ other) influences makes for an interesting and modern cross-bred sound.

Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire- Songs Of Ill Hope And Desperation

released June 8, 2010 on Prosethetic Records

C.T.T.O.A.F.F is a band out of Denver, CO that's been described by some as "funeral grind" (too slow for grind and too fast for doom). Since I'm new to this sub-genre of metal, my first thoughts are obviously concentrated on the speed and intensity of the instrumentation. "Teeth & Hair" is basically an all-out assault with intense drums, loud & droning guitars and vocals that are probably too fast to even pick out (at least for me). Good way to start. Some of the tracks that stand out to me are "Gold, Frankincense & Myth" (the pacing is not as fast and it's easier to pick out some doom among the distorted instrumentation), "Bouquet Of Self-Pity" (starts off with some ominous drumbeats before taking on a sinister tone) and "Remove The Light" (starts off as the usual before it slows down about two minutes in and it works as a way to close off this album). In conclusion, I'm not quite sure if this style is something I'd spin often but otherwise, it's an interesting album to check out. Fans of grind might enjoy C.T.T.O.A.F.F more than I did.

FCC: Check

Try: 1, 5, *8*, *13*

01. Teeth & Hair

02. Cloven

03. I Walk Away From The Human Race

04. Shat Out My Bones

05. Gold, Frankincense & Myth

06. Recession

07. Piss

08. Bouquet Of Self-Pity

09. Leather Hands

10. Made Of Coal

11. They Smeared Shit On Their Skin So They Could Blend In At Night

12. Empty

13. Remove The Light

2.5/5

Frenzy- In The Blood

release date: September 14, 2010 on People Like You Records

Frenzy is an UK psychobilly act formed in 1983. They are made up of Steve Whitehouse (Upright bass & lead vocals), Steve Eaton (Guitars & backing vocals) and Ad Seviour (Drums & backing vocals). This is their 13th album and this is the first time I've heard of them. "Time Machine" starts off this album with fast-paced instrumentation and a neo-rockabilly feel to it. Highlighted tracks on this album include "Hero" (definitely psychobilly and if you're not familiar with such, just imagine Chris #2 of Anti-Flag on stand-up bass), "Johnny Rocket", "In The Blood" (arguably one of the stronger tracks), "Forever Ticking Clock" (similar to the first track and has a very old-school Stray Cats feel to it), "Adrenaline" and "Dark Winter" (longest track and probably the strongest of all). In conclusion, this is another fun psychobilly release and this year has been chock full of a few. It's a style that I feel is highly unappreciated and Frenzy is another group worth checking out if you're a fan of the style.

FCC: Check

Try: 1, *2*, *5*, 7, 9, *10*

Glass's four string quartets on this CD are minimalist yet include a variety of melodies as historically quartets do. Play all!

File: Classical/avant-garde composer: Glass

Pianist and composer Berkeley wrote compositions that are lyrical, bittersweet and don't let the listener know  where they are going. Impressionistic but with some tension. Play all!

File: Classical composer: Berkeley