(This is our friend Gonzo’s review of the first new album in 11 years from Pro-Pain, out now on Napalm Records.)
Eleven long years have passed since we last heard from New York’s Pro-Pain. And not unlike other groove-laden crossover heroes from the early ’90s — Helmet, Merauder, and Prong come to mind first — their influence has quietly given life to an entire movement of others who follow in their footsteps.
Since they first appeared on the map in 1992 with the seminal Foul Taste of Freedom, Pro-Pain has been a band that’s been more comfortable flying under the radar and delivering punishing riffs, anthemic choruses, and a raw, uncompromising sound. More than 30 years later, they’ve carried that energy with aplomb into Stone Cold Anger, an aptly titled record if there ever was one.
As a naive pimply faced teenager in 1996, I can still remember the hair on the back of my neck standing up the first time I heard Contents Under Pressure. For my tastes at the time, it was like I manifested my ideal sound for a band: hardcore, metal, and punk all fused together in some molten ball of white-hot audial rage. The song “Crush” immediately won me over, and it was all downhill from there.
That’s why it’s incredible to me that almost 35 years later, Pro-Pain hasn’t changed their sound a single bit, yet can still find ways of writing songs that stick to their fist-to-the-face motif. Call it the opposite of selling out, or just call it simple consistency. Whatever it is, Stone Cold Anger hits just as hard as anything else in their repertoire.
“Oceans of Blood” wastes zero time kicking your proverbial door down. Founding member Gary Meskil’s telltale bark takes all of five seconds to fire on all cylinders, and the guitar tandem of Eric Klinger and Greg Discenza commence their infectious chug not long after. The title track is an acerbic continuation of Meskil’s rage, highlighted by a battle cry of a chorus that shouts “Unleash the wrath inside.” You don’t have to tell me twice.
The band also doesn’t pull any punches about lyrical themes. The punk-addled catchiness of “Uncle Sam Wants You!” and the lumbering stomp of “March of the Giants” leaves very little to the imagination, featuring messages aimed with bloodthirsty precision at the extreme amounts of bullshit being forced onto the world from a handful of billionaires. The military industrial complex also isn’t spared, and nor should it be. “Demonic Intervention” follows the same blueprint, and in case those messages weren’t clear enough, the “you can all go fuck yourselves” chorus of “Rinse & Repeat” should clear that up pretty quickly.
I can’t answer why it’s been such a long pause between records for Pro-Pain, especially considering their first five albums were released in less time than they’ve been away, but Stone Cold Anger comes at the perfect time regardless. It’s got all the elements that made me such a rabid teenage fan so long ago, and it’s incredibly cathartic to hear a band stick to their formula with such solid results, even after 35 years. If you’ve enjoyed anything this band has released in their career, I can’t imagine a reality where you wouldn’t enjoy Stone Cold Anger.
https://napalmrecords.us/collections/pro-pain
https://pro-pain.bandcamp.com/album/stone-cold-anger-3
https://www.facebook.com/propainhardcore