Round 6

A pretty shitty artwork welcomes the potential buyer of this full-length. Who had this moronic idea? I thought that Meskil is a kind of mobile centre of anger, but now he and his competent comrades have seemingly discovered their funny side... No, not at all. Men who have more hairs in the face than on the head are rarely funny. Mr. Meskil, do you have anything to add? "F**k it!". Thank you.

Indeed, song titles like "F**k it" speak another language than the idiotic artwork. Pro-Pain still present their material in a grim manner. The raging "Fed Up", which is crowned with a double bass driven chorus, starts the attack in a very rapid way, I do not know why so many bands put their fastest song at the beginning, but we do not need to analyse this, because Pro-Pain offer many good songs on "Round 6", irrespective of their pace. They are able to put melodic elements cleverly into their humourless tracks ("Take it Personal", with a duration of 3:45 minutes the longest track here), but they convince with brusque songs as well ("Desensitize"). The majority of the tracks lies within these parameters. Mr. Meskil, would you be so kind to give us the name of a very representative song? "F**k it!". Thank you.

Maybe there are too many mid-tempo parts on this output, but this does not hurt the liveliness of the material. Pro-Pain do not sound like a comatose combo, they are still combative and energetic. The easily accessible pieces are coherently designed and equipped with a small, but sufficient number of mostly great riffs. The barking of Meskil is both monotonous and expressive, while the rhythm section does its job precisely. Finally, the production combines rawness and power. I admit that a few number of tracks fails to develop its own personality, but most songs get straight to the point. Thus, I see no major defects that hurt the quality of the album. Any other opinion, Mr. Meskil? Okay, okay, there is no need to answer, we know what you are going to say.

It's a matter of opinion whether one needs another Pro-Pain album or not. And, of course, the financial resources also play a role. Please keep in mind that the differences between "Round 6" and other outputs of this period are rather small. But this is exactly what I like, a band that has found its style. Fickleness is no feature of the US Americans and I enjoy this fact. Therefore, I like the reliability of the band. After having reviewed "Fistful of Hate" and "Shreds of Dignity", I can identify a pattern and I appreciate to know in advance that the third song on "Round 6" is the first one with a surprisingly harmonic chorus and "Substance" does not disappoint me. But my personal favourite is "Psywar" with its very dark touch and the desperate, accusing lyrics. A good verse is followed by a dark bridge and a sharp and catchy chorus. Mr. Meskil, would you like to tell us the name of your highlights on "Round 6"? "F**k it!". Thank you.

This is another competent, pretty enjoyable Pro-Pain album... there are no surprises here - if you liked Act of God, you will like this one as well. It's not quite as thrasherrific as the one before, with the guitar tone being just a bit weaker, but nonetheless there are still plenty of moments where the solid bludgeoning riffs reach out and grab you by the spleen.

Highlights... probably "Fuck It". This one has the most overt thrash riffage under the verses - imagine a Nuclear Assault middle break. COMMENCE BANGING!! The following song, "Psywar", is a lot faster, and just as heavy. It's, interestingly enough, a middle-heavy album, that takes a bit of time to really find its groove, but when it does so, it becomes very very good. The first few songs aren't quite as good, though still pretty decent. "Fed Up" is very fast, but the riffs aren't as overt - instead of one downstroke every drum hit, it's one every two or four...

"Take it Personal" is a bit interesting, in that it is a bit more melodic, with what sounds like keyboards every once in a while... the song goes through two main general styles - that melodic one, counterpointed with some thrash riffage in the chorus. Another good song, and the solo is very nice too.

The last few songs are pretty decent, though really nothing new - the album does drag on very slightly - more so than Act of God, because on this one, somehow it seems like by track 8, you've heard it all, and are just hearing the same thing but maybe a little faster, or with a slightly different melody, but still pretty much the same. Nonetheless, the closer "Down in Flames" is another highlight, with some fast riffage during the verses.

Overall - a competent, if slightly unspectacular album. The Pro-Pain formula is strong at work here. If you like it, great - you'll enjoy this one too. Newcomers to the band should check out Act of God first, as that one is stronger, but those looking for a sequel will not be disappointed with this one.