No End in Sight

Pro-Pain has been going at their brand of hardcore/groove thrash metal sound now for well over fifteen years and this year sees the band release its 12th full length No End in Sight. Pro-Pain is one of those bands that has over the years established its basic sound and done the job by sticking to that sound but managing to sound reasonably fresh.

No End in Sight starts off like just about every other Pro-Pain album. Opening song Let the Blood Run Through the Streets is typical of the band with its groovy thrash rhythm and mainman Gary Meskil’s shouty singing style. You’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s all business as usual in the Pro-Pain camp and song 2 Halo does nothing to change that opinion. It is solid, groovy-as-fuck metal. The surprise starts with the third song. Hour of the Time features a guest spot from German punk rocker Stephan Weidner of BÖHSE ONKELZ and comes across like a melodic punk rock song in the vein of Bad Religion with a catchy chorus and melodic and clean vocal lines. This song manages to really get under your skin and by the third play of the album I was singing along to the completely daft chorus. Phoenix Rising has a guest spot from Rob Barrett and is one of the best songs that the band has yet recorded. It has a solid Contents Under Pressure feel to it.

Not all the experiments work though. To Never Return starts off like Nevermore with some really strained vocals from Meskil before going off into an incredibly cheesy vocal line and chorus that reminds me a bit of Avenged Sevenfold and the clean singing on this song is just weak. Go It Alone is again a melodic heavy song but doesn’t really have the crunch that I’m used to getting with a new Pro-Pain album.

No End in Sight sees a definite and unexpected progression from the band. There is a greater focus on melody in these songs and the non-stop thrash grooves of old have given way to a slightly restrained set of songs. At the same time, the songs all feel like they could have been on Contents under Pressure or even Foul Taste of Freedom. There’s a sense here of the band looking forward but at the same time planting a foot in its own ass kicking past.

Overall, I’d say that this album is a definite step down from the last couple of albums but at the same time it’s not bad. It’s just not as ballsy and in my face as I like Pro-Pain to be.

Originally written for http://www.kvltsite.com