PAIN DANCING WITH THE DEAD ALBUM STOCKHOLM RELEASE: JANUARY 26, 2005 REVIEW: JANUARY 13, 2005

Less techno, more metal, better songs. There you have it, my short review of Pain’s new album “Dancing with the Dead”. But let's take a closer look.
If you don’t like metal, stay out of this text, but if you can appreciate heavy guitar driven songs with killer choruses, you will find this album worth your while.
It opens with a fantastic trio of compositions, with “The Same Old Song” being among the cream of the crop, and also deservedly chosen as the first single. Then the album basically keeps it up throughout, although it loses momentum at times during some fillers. The dancable and simply marvellous “Not Afraid to Die” is possibly my favourite, with its pummelling rhythms, piano laden melodies and a hit feeling that makes me want to bet that it’s the next single.
That said, the wall of sound that characterizes every track gets a bit tiring after a while, and Peter’s singing sounds pretty similar in every song. But hey, Peter Tägtgren has made a superb party-techno-metal album, so who am I to complain? Just listen to “Not Afraid to Die” again and again and bang your head with a smile.

JOHAN CARLSSON