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Ok, who is the loony at Clenchedfist Records that allowed Thy Pain to get out of the studio after only recording 21 minutes of music? When you have a band this talented you don't torture listeners by only giving us a small helping on their debut release! Now don't take that as a negative comment...it's just a disappointment. I falsely heard from someone that this was a full length album. However, this is an "EP", it is marketed as an "EP", and it is being sold for "EP" prices. Regardless of how long it is, I'd heard good things about this Rocky Gray-produced band, but I wasn't really expecting to be this impressed. I listened to a couple mp3's a few months ago and couldn't really get into them. What a difference a few months make! Thy Pain is a mixture of death, grind, power, and melodic metal that tantalizes the senses through seven brutal songs. Something about blasting a CD on your stereo system makes for a much better listen then over tiny computer speakers.
With harsh vocals that land in the death/thrash range, machine-gun drumming, and killer guitar riffs throughout, Thy Pain will dare you to keep hitting the play button time and time again on this disc. This band is tight and it shows big time.
Vocalist, Damien McNeil, throws in some clean, melodic singing on a few songs like "Wounded Heart" and "The Repulsive Cries of Temptation" ala Living Sacrifice, that compliment the songs quite nicely. But for the most part they pummel you with intensity. One down point is that despite the variety in the songs, I sometimes lose a little interest. Maybe it's just me, but you don't want that happening on only a 21 minute album.
The lyrics on the entire album are very tastefully done and center on a believer who was abused as a child and struggles with the temptation to abuse as a father. The songs titles are also very brutal sounding. "The Repulsive Cries of Temptation", "Far From Darkness", "United in Blood", and "Descendants of Cruelty" are a few. Nothing like cool song titles to make a great song even better. Speaking of well done, the production and packaging are also top notch. I'm really starting to look forward to where this band goes from here.
Like I said, I'm impressed, but next time I better be hearing a CD that lasts longer than a trip around the block. (Review by Matt)
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