Review: PAIN “Coming Home”

PAIN “Coming Home”
Nuclear Blast records

After releases of lyric-video and official video from upcoming album Coming Home some Pain‘s fans are yelling «Peter, Till is bad for you!». These are, principally, those, who waits for one more Rebirth and didn’t catches Lindemann‘s concept. The others are feeling kind of orgasm, listening to released tracks again and again, and waiting for official release of the new maestro Tägtgren’s creature, that will be out on September, 9.      

Especially for the Coming Home Tour Mr. Tägtgren got a new guitar with unique and maybe perverted tune: the strings on elegant custom ESP Eclipse are E-A-E-A-D-F#. That can promise heavy, powerful and saturated sound at live shows. So if you have such an opportunity, don’t miss it!

So, what about an album? Thoughtful father Peter attracted his son Sebastian to the drums recording. Of course all the fans will interestedly listen to them and critically evaluate Sebastian’s work. Maybe Tägtgren-jr. will give to this world as much masterpieces, as his father? It cannot be said now, but the fact that the drums are sounds very good in this album. Peter engineered the sound professionally and with love. With this, it can be heard that the drums are recorded not by Peter, but by Sebastian. Well, let the everyone decide for himself, is it good or bad. Also, there is another question: what is more in an album – drums or acoustic guitar?

Peter said that Coming Home will continue ideas of Skills In Pills and the last Pain‘s album You Only Live Twice. But when you turn on the first track “Designed To Piss You Off”, you forget about everything. It can be felt that Sweden multi-instrumentalist was inspired by Westerns. This song is great and very exciting – it has the power of Tägtgren’s riffs, his clean vocals, memorable chorus and drive. To all skeptics and croakers there is a little quote: «My rules – I win – You lose».

Next song is about gigolo, the man that have sex for the money – “Call Me”. Here also can be heard Joakim Brodén from Sabaton – they were recorded their new album The Last Stand on Abyss Studio exactly while Peter worked on his. On this song some, ahem, funny video was released.

Also, from this song Peter starts to use the orchestra.

“A Wannabe” causes some strong emotions. Starting from acoustic intro, the feelings are gradually overwhelming the listener, and after orchestra parts with Peter’s voice they just breaking out. Epic, emotions and electronic music, here you got three “E”, that making a secret of this track.

Those who wait for powerful and crushing sound from Pain with extreme vocals will be excited with the song that has some intriguing name. “Pain In The Ass” is awesome. But in the last part of the song there is some detached piece. It’s good, but not associated with the track at all.

Mr. Tägtgren’s predilection to aliens and interest to various conspiracy theories are embodied in the song “Black Knight Satelite” (based on a myth about alien moon). On July, 8 was released the lyric-video for this song, and after it holy wars about Lindemann‘s influence on Peter started. Well, angered are losing.

You can be painhead or not, but tittled “Coming Home” will be in your head for a long time, especially when you’re on your way back home after good journey or some festival, for example. It made for the listener, that smiles for his past adventures and wait for meeting with some dear and beloved. This song worth a lot, Peter made it with a lot of love and soul.

But here I need to spend abroad.

Next song “Absinthe Phoenix Rising”. It has its own charm, but causes the thoughts about self repeats.

The most unexpected song is “Final Crusade”. On one hand you can hear the vocals, and there can’t be doubts: this sounds can be made only by Peter’s throat. On the other hand, well, the music is good, but it’s not exactly Pain. Groovy rhythm, samples, catchy riffs and few words in a head: «Peter and Till are friends».

But all of this is gone with the next song “Natural Born Idiot”: solid sound and epic samples – this song is a little masterpiece.

And the last one “Starseed” can be described like «strings, samples, almost without guitars, Peter and what’s in his head».

The album will be released on CD and vinyl – black, transparent and orange. Also there is an mailorder edition: two CDs, 7″ vinyl with bonus-tracks (“Me Against The Universe” and “My Angel”) and a couple of cards with crazy artworks.

And of course the album’s cover. Stefan Heilemann made his best, and Peter’s face is priceless. Like before the photo he looked on a schedule of “Coming Home Tour”.

Peter mentioned, that many songs in an album were written «just for fun». Probably, that’s why some of them are causing questions, especially three last songs – they have a bright start and incomprehensible end. But there are also some hits in an album, that will be played deep inside your head, even if you are on another band’s gig (checked).

If the studio album can show what’s going at the concerts? Because Mr. Tägtgren has some power to catch the attention with only one look and hold it with ease. That’s make him a real great showman!