Album Reviews : Pain – Coming Home
Peter Tägtgren is a metal mastermind in every sense of the word. The man can do almost anything it seems, and his often dark and bizarre style reached its pinnacle last year when he released the most controversial album of the year together with Rammstein’s Till Lindemann under the project name of Lindemann. It is evident that Tägtgren is a very busy man and Coming Home is the first Pain album in five years.
Pain had an excellent run from 2002 to 2007 with three brilliant albums. Nothing Remains The Same and Dancing With The Dead are two of my favourite albums of all time. But then I feel that Tägtgren stagnated a bit. The magic started to fade ever so slightly on Cynic Paradise and by You Only Live Twice it had almost disappeared completely. My initial reaction when listening to Coming Home was that it was yet another a watered down version of the Pain that I fell in love with back in my teenage years. Although, the album is a grower and there are some highlights that I will keep coming back to in the future. Call Me, which also features Sabaton’s Joakim Brodén, hooked me straight away and it’s my go to song on this album. The title track is incredibly majestic and probably one of the most epic songs Tägtgren has ever made. Natural Born Idiot has an incredible groove and I can easily see it being a crowd favourite if it makes it onto setlists in the future. As you can probably tell by its name, Absinthe Phoenix Rising is a party anthem in every single way possible and the chorus will be sung by many drunken metalheads the world over from now on.
I have to commend Peter Tägtgren for sticking to his guns with Pain, it’s a concept that doesn’t really require a lot of change when done right, just a bit of polishing here and there. I do feel that it is the project’s major strength in a day and age where a lot of bands do change as they grow out of their initial sound. It is also a weakness, however. To me it feels like Pain has partly lost its mojo and a slight change in any direction at all could be healthy I think. Coming Home is a very clinical album, and while there is room for growth I find that I have to force myself to actively listen to it all in one go. I was hoping that after having released such a masterpiece with Lindemann last year, this Pain record would be equally exciting, alas, it doesn’t quite get there in the end.
Coming Home is out today via Nuclear Blast Records. You can purchase the album HERE.
About Martin Michea
Martin is an aspiring music photographer/videographer. He is originally from the southern parts of Sweden and now he's living in Sydney, Australia. Thanks to his older sister, he got into Rammstein at the age of 9, and since then he's been into all types of metal/rock. He loves to combine photography and music, but also filming concerts and produce live material. Follow him on Twitter and check out his website.Latest News
-
Pioneering Aussie metal drummer Matt ‘Skitz’ announces 2021 national tour.
One of Australia’s pioneering metal drummers, Matt ‘Skitz’ Sanders (Damaged,...
- November 14, 2020
- 0
-
Be’lakor tease new album studio updates.
Melbourne’s Progressive Death Metal masters, Be’lakor has recently dropped new...
- November 14, 2020
- 0
-
Psycroptic release details of upcoming EP “The Watcher Of All”.
Tasmanian death metal masters, Psycroptic have unveiled their latest single...
- November 7, 2020
- 0
-
Chaos Divine releases their brand new album ‘Legacies’.
Perth progressive metal masters, Choas Divine has released their long-awaited...
- October 21, 2020
- 0
-
Tyr and Arkona reschedule Australian tour dates for 2021.
Overdrive Touring, the crew behind the upcoming Týr and Arkona...
- October 21, 2020
- 0
-
Heavy metal comedian, Steve Hughes releases debut solo album.
Australian comedian and heavy metal drummer, Steve Hughes has recently...
- October 21, 2020
- 0
-
In Malice’s Wake unleash ‘The Blindness of Faith’ music video.
Melbourne thrash icons, In Malice’s Wake, have unleashed their latest...
- September 25, 2020
- 0
-
Victorian premier, Dan Andrews announces $9 million live music venue grant.
Daniel Andrews, premier of Victoria has recently announced a $9...
- September 25, 2020
- 0
-
King Parrot release new single “Nor Is Yours” featuring Phil Anselmo.
King Parrot have released ‘Not Is Yours’, their latest single...
- September 22, 2020
- 0
-
Orpheus Omega release fan favourite playthrough videos.
Melbourne metallers Operhus Omega has been busy on social media...
- September 21, 2020
- 0
Like us on Facebook
Album Reviews
-
El Colosso – Forgotten Ancestors
Another heavily underrated local act, this Melbourne band has...
- Posted 3 years ago
-
Markus Saastamoinen – Puzzle Pieces
A little background on Markus Saastomoinen: he is a...
- Posted 3 years ago
-
Plini – Impulse Voices
The new album from Sydney instrumental guitar prodigy Plini...
- Posted 3 years ago
-
HJELVIK – Welcome to Hel
Ex-Kevelertak frontman Erlend Hjelvik is about to open the...
- Posted 3 years ago