CoC : Pro-Pain - Act of God : Review

Pro-Pain - _Act of God_
(Warner Chappell, 1999)
by: Matthias Noll (8 out of 10)

Last week I read a review of this album in a German magazine. The writer came to the conclusion that with _Act of God_ Pro-Pain have recorded the same album for the fifth time. Hell, to a certain degree that's exactly what I expect Pro-Pain to do. True, there is nothing innovative on this record -- so what? Other bands change and progress, but there are countless examples where this progression basically meant wimping out. Pro-Pain doesn't and they have followed their path with such an amount of stubbornness that I'm tempted to call them the AC/DC of metal. Even the accusation of recording the same album every time is not correct. _Act of God_ is still done in the same simple, no experiments, metalcore style Pro-Pain have used on their other records, but there definitely are differences. This time the metal riffing is slightly reduced and gives way to a more rock 'n' roll / punk oriented approach. Song structures are even simpler than before, mostly uptempo, with a minimum of breaks and tempo variations. This makes this album sound repetitive sometimes, but creates a relentless bulldozer charge atmosphere. Guitar solos can be found in every song and I really have to say that Tom Klimchuck once again does a great job there, completely avoiding any technical gimmicks, which is really refreshing. Soundwise, _Act of God_ has a great overall sound. The drums have received more attention this time around, being more powerful than ever. The guitars sound a little bit less distorted and not as much in the foreground as on their previous album, but I think this is a conscious decision, because the material is slightly less metal than before. Pro-Pain fans will love this album as they loved the others. Everybody else please take my advice: to really understand what Pro-Pain is all about, go and see them live. Only then the full power of this band will unfold and _Act of God_ is yet another brilliant soundtrack for a kick ass gig.

(article published 14/3/1999)

CHATS
8/28/2003	A McKay	Pro-Pain: As Big as the Rolling Stones?
7/3/2002	A Bromley	Pro-Pain: The Shocking Shreds of Dignity
12/13/1995	A Bromley	Pro-Pain: Painful Pleas From the Pros

ALBUMS
2/24/2009	A McKay	8.5	Pro-Pain - No End in Sight
8/28/2003	J Smit	5	Pro-Pain - Run for Cover
5/13/2001	M Noll	7	Pro-Pain - Round 6
3/10/1998	Z Tsarfin	5	Pro-Pain - Pro-Pain
10/11/1996	A Bromley	8	Pro-Pain - Contents Under Pressure

GIGS
11/18/1996	S Cannon	Voivod / Crisis / Pro-Pain	Vicious Violence Vented