PAIN

Cynic Paradise

Nuclear Blast/ CD

Seems like there's absolutely no sign of fatigue. One man band from Stockholm with every year speeds up on it’s way to the top. One year after the release of "Psalms of Extinction" Peter Tagtren is back - under a new-old flag of NUCLEAR BLAST - with the sixth full-lenght album signed with PAIN logo. What is most important here the exhausting tempo of creating and recording of new songs didn't affect the quality of those tracks. Quite the contrary, probably we have to deal here with most exciting and attractive stuff in band's history.

Very well known from previous albums adavantages of songs that Peter Tagtren creates for PAIN - dancing melodies and high-energetic vitality- are again the key factors that determine near-maximum enjoyment from listening. The whole fun begins with "I'm Going In". What is interesting we can find a distant echoes of the composer's death metal incarnation in vocal department. Those rhythmic riffs underlined by techno beats could easily force to dance even a stiff one. By the way Mr. Tagtren is a man of experience in that case. (vide: "Dancing With The Dead"). "Monkey Business" is another invitation on the dance floor. Recipe for success which was used here is almost the same as in the opening track.

Coming up next is almost poppy "Follow Me". We have NIGHTWISH's Anette Olzon guest appearance here. I think that we owe it to the friendship which began during last year's tour, when PAIN supported the Finish stars. If you want to know if it was a good idea to invite this lady, just listen to the only-Peter-vox version of this song which is available on the bonus CD. It's still a cool song, but Olzon gave it additional light. The same is true in the second track, which features Anette's contribution ("Feed Us"). Self-ironic "Have A Drink On Me" withthe western slide-guitar part is a nice surprise. i think that it's the most classical, american-blended rock song in PAIN's career.
Of course, we've got a bunch of tracks which are in the 120 percent based on foundations that bear the weight of band's quite-unique style. Energetic "Do not Care" and marching "Reach Out (And Regret)" without any problems could be find on any of the five previous band's works. Dancing adrenaline of "Generation X" is gently silenced with cosmic "No One Knows". Your blood will stars to boil again, along with the "Live Fast, Die Young", where nihilistic message of catchy chorus seems to reflect the vanity of consumerism and artificial relationships. it has already become one of the PAIN's trade marks. Light, easy and pleasant music is accompanied by the words which very often are bitter, ironic and even vulgar.

I have no doubts. After a temporary - however minimal crisis - Peter Tagtren returns to the Premier League. "Cynic Paradise" is a superior piece of work. But that's not all. When we take a look at the fantastic cover versions of DEPECHE MODE and ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA from limited edition's bonus CD we must add extra points and a final note is placed dangerously close to the dance-metal ideal.

10/12