Dutch metalcore bruisers Born From Pain have started to sound more and more like Hatebreed to me over the years, but they've also been getting better and better, so not only is "War" (Metal Blade) their strongest offering to date, but I actually enjoy this album significantly more than the latest Hatebreed effort—so it's almost like one of those "the students have become the teachers" scenarios. The recording is fucking flawless on this thing (Tue Madsen has finally nailed it), with massive guitars, thundering percussion, well-placed vocals, and ultra dense low-end gelling together into a cohesive and crushing whole for which I have zero complaints. I'm loving it. And from a songwriting standpoint, this is both a touch more memorable and diverse than the band's prior efforts—retaining plenty of the straightforward chugging breakdowns and fast hardcore elements while adding in more focused and thought out instances of sinister melody as well as more consistent variations in tempo. So one minute it might be a two-minute blitz of raging metallic hardcore, while the next it's a four- to six-minute slab of thick, sludgy, powerfully metal-oriented riffing intertwined with basic power chords... and of course relentless shouts, with various guest vocal spots throughout the album from Lou Koller (Sick of it All), Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), and Jan-Chris de Koeyer (Gorefest). It's not necessarily a departure from the band's tried and true foundation, but it's definitely enough of a progression to leave a mark, and in doing so Born From Pain seem to have grown to the level that few of their contemporaries have been able to achieve. Very cool. There's some great shit here...
Born From Pain "Stop at Nothing"
Born From Pain "Scorched Earth"
Pick it up if you're into it:
Comments
i saw BFP on tour with Napalm Death and Mendeed in Europe. They were pretty much boring to me, as I had even more enjoyed in Mendeed. Dobulse pedal on and on, song structure almost the same from begging till end. OK you can say that grind have pretty much the same structure, but I like it much more. I dont know but I get enough of this European metalcore acts with breakdowns everywhere and some though guy behaviour.
11.16.2006 | By papa-razzi
at first i didnt like these songs at all…a little too slow but they have grown on me alot i would say its not an upgrade from in love with the end but its about equal..born from pain is a band that NEEDS to play the states already.
11.16.2006 | By phil d
ok i changed my mind this is the best stuff they’ve done haha
11.16.2006 | By phil d
I gotta say i was disappointed with the last BFP album a couple years ago… but this one is just awesome. I was falling asleep by the 4th track of the previous record (every song IS THE SAME!) but this CD has so much more depth to it and is far better.
11.16.2006 | By Andrew C
i doubt that diversity has ever even been something a band like BFP is shooting for. if the production is beefy enough, the vocals burly enough, and the groove massive enough, i’m even capable of not giving a shit about the lyrics, let alone a (in their case maybe only slight) lack of diversity. they’re not opeth, yah? when the double kick stepped in after the melody at 0:30 on “stop at nothing”, topped with lyrics about the world being cold, it connected just like that. and that’s all a man needs nowdays. :p love the melodies to. got to cop this shit right away.
11.17.2006 | By chris
sick, I like it. Kinda reminds me of 100 Demons with a wee bit more melodic"ness”. Which is not a bad thing.
11.17.2006 | By Adrianoso
Hypertension imprint label Hollowman just released BFP In Love with the end as a ltd gatefold LP (with bonustrack) and releases BFP-WAR in a few weeks.
You ca pre-order now!
11.27.2006 | By Hypertension