PAIN

Ahead of hearing the latest full-length offering from Hypocrisy main-man Peter Tägtgren under the PAIN moniker, I'd already viewed/heard the video for new track 'Dirty Woman'. A departure from what one would usually associate with PAIN's sound, the verse and bridge of said song has been justifiably compared to AC/DC with Tägtgren delivering a vocal syle uncharacteristic of how he usually sounds with this project. While 'Dirty Woman' is a solid track and an effective pastiche, in parts, of late 70s/early 80s rock/metal, I feared he'd taken PAIN in an entirely different direction with 'You Only Live Twice' and that the whole album would pertain to such a style. However, upon hearing the album in its entirety, my fears proved unfounded. Far from it, in fact, as the nine tracks that comprise the release are a conglomeration of styles far more diverse than on any previous PAIN album. And it's generally darker, heavier and more hard-hitting than ever before, even with nods towards Hypocrisy idioms in particularly aggressive passages such as on opener 'Let Me Out' and 'Monster'. Apart from the use of drummer David Wallin from PAIN's live incarnation, Tägtgren has performed all instruments himself, and produced/mixed, so the core PAIN sound is remains intact, albeit flavoured with stylistic heterogeneity throughout so one song sounds distinct from the next. This, in itself, makes for a fully engaging listen as Tägtgren transcends listening expectations as each new song blasts forth. It's probably, also, his most consistent PAIN release as there's absolutely no filler, just incredibly high quality song writing throughout, and all executed flawlessly with a big, resonant production and perfect mix for the multi-layered instrumentation. And there's a more organic feel to this one as well - the semi-industrial elements of the music are still present, as they always have been with the PAIN aesthetic, but the overall effect is more 'natural' sounding. In short, 'You Only Live Twice' is a rather stunning work on all counts - song-writing, production, and execution - and may very well be the album that rockets Tägtgren into mainstream global success.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Nuclear Blast

Album

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

40:36

RELEASE DATE:

3rd June 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) Let Me Out
2) Feed the Demons
3) The Great Pretender
4) You Only Live Twice
5) Dirty Woman
6) We Want More
7) Leave Me Alone
8) Monster
9) Season of the Reaper

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Sweden

"...'You Only Live Twice' is a rather stunning work on all counts - song-writing, production, and execution - and may very well be the album that rockets Tägtgren into mainstream global success."