Pain Of Truth are hailing from Long Island, New York and were formed in 2020. This is their second full length album containing eleven songs. The music of Pain Of Truth is, what we called back in the nineties, new school hardcore. That means brutal metallic hardcore with street smart undertones. Here we have double bass pedals if I hear it right, angry shouted vocals which at times wander into a bit melodic parts and backing gang vocals, crushing beatdowns and breakdowns, just made for moshing at the gigs. Musicianship is very tight and production is raw and I love it, because it fits perfectly to this kind of music. This is not unsimilar to the godfathers of this hardcore genre, like Earth Crisis or Snapcase did, only more brutal and harsh, energy just streaming from songs on this release. Lyrics are personal, dealing with lies, trust, hatred, fear, personal demons and unfortunately or fortunately I can relate to them. This music and this record made me feeling better, so I can say that is the meaning of hardcore, to let you know that you are not alone in this. My personal favorites on this one are: Done For, Unforgiven and Destroy It All. As young hardcore kid, I didn’t like bands like this, because I come from more fast, punkrock background, but now at my fifties I enjoy them very much. Good one, pick this one!
Tag Archives: metallic hardcore
(review) Pro-Pain – Stone Cold Anger
New York Hardcore legends Pro-Pain released their new opus. Formed in 1991 by the founder and sole original member bassist and vocalist Gary Meskil, these titans released their seventeenth full length effort containing ten songs. Although the drummer and one of the guitarists are from Belgium, I still consider Pro-Pain as NYHC band, like they were at the start. Besides Gary, one of the Pro-Pain veterans Eric Klinger is also in the band playing guitar. The music of Pro-Pain is harsh metallic hardcore with most of the songs having groove and classic in your face punches thrown here and there, with angry vibe and great guitar work, topped with Gary’s harsh vocals but also melodies and catchy hooks like in great title song. I love how band also uses melodic and clean vocals at times varying upon the song and the production is just like I love, courtesy of guitarist Eric Klinger, who also recorded, mixed and mastered this record. March Of The Giants is also one of my favorites being classic Pro-Pain hit in your head. Other highlight of this record for me is Uncle Sam Wants You, being punkrock song with nice melody and for me the most catchy song on the album perfect for playing live at gigs. The third song I must mention as highlight is Hell Or High Water. Sky’s The Limit is for me the best song on this album, with beautiful chorus sung in clean vocals which perfectly mix with Gary’s harsh voice. There are some people who say that Pro-Pain is boring because they write and release similar albums all of the time, but I don’t agree with this thesis, because the energy is here and the spirit of hardcore lives in this record. Now, as being a fan of this band since I was a teen hardcore kid, nothing will surpass for me the first three records of this band, but I love this one nonetheless.
Swim or Drown: Dutch metallic hardcore group unveil ‘Trapped’ 7” + Music Video; out now via WTF Records
Dutch metal-fueled hardcore quintet Swim or Drown returns with a new 7”, Trapped, out today (13 December 2023) via WTF Records on vinyl and digital formats.
Trapped features two of the heaviest hardcore numbers Swim or Drown ever produced to date. The title track tells the story of frontman Jan’s struggle with his inner demons, a theme that was previously explored in the title track of Torment, the band’s last EP. The cover art for Trapped depicts a skull behind bars with chains around its mouth, representing the story. The other track, “Human Scum,” expresses the band’s frustration and anger towards humans for greedily destroying nature, animals, and other human beings.
The tracks were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Sander Oldersma at 3181 Recording Studio.
Stream/Download ‘Trapped’ on your preferred media AT THIS LOCATION.
Swim or Drown’s Upcoming Shows:
15 Dec — Heerlen, Netherlands @Cafe Bluff
16 Dec —Brussels, Belgium @Kirikou et le President
17 Dec — Heerenveen, Netherlands @Cafe De Skoffel
Emerged in 2008, Heerenveen-based Swim or Drown conjures pure metallic hardcore adrenaline. The Dutch quintet has brought absolute hell for 15 years with the same lineup, which they would like to continue the same way. They have already stored a couple of EPs full of abrasive, high-energy tracks in their arsenal and played plenty of shows, including sharing the stage Poison Idea, Biohazard, Merauder, Sinister, and Stillbirth.
Lineup:
Jan de Groot – Vocals
Roy Sloothaak – Guitars
Hylke Wijnstra – Guitars
Rienk Jonkman – Bass
Jack de Leeuw – Drums
Swim or Drown:
https://www.facebook.com/SWIMorDROWN
https://www.instagram.com/swimordrownhc
WTF Records:
https://wtfrecords.eu
https://www.facebook.com/wtfrecordsdistro
https://www.instagram.com/wtfrecordsdistro
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnluZjgcIA1baR-aI5_OHTA


