Metal Mike Chlasciak, who is a poster boy of a classic metalhead, is probably best known for his work with Rob
Halford on the HALFORD albums, and those of you who have seen Testament live (pre the reunion tour) lately, will have met Metal Mike and his handiwork, and if I'm not mistaken you will also have loved it! You will also find Metal Mike on several solo albums and on Hammerfall's Joachim Cans' solo project CANS and on John West's Earth Maker album. Metal Mike has also appeared on a number of other albums as guest guitarist.
For this album, which Metal Mike really wanted to be metal for life, he called in some really big guns or the disciples in black as Metal Mike calls them. So not only do we get his massive guitar work (or flesh wires as he calls the guitar in the slip cover), we also get one of the most hard kicking rhythm sections metal has seen in a long time; on drums (skin raptures) Bobby Jarzombek who's day job is manning the drums in the amazing Spastic Inc., and on bass (Rumble Manipulation) monster bassist Steve DiGiorgio who played in Death, Sadus, Control Denied, Testament and many other bands. On vocals (throat manifestations) we have Tim Clairbone who used to sing/growl in Hatred.
So looking at the line up alone,
PainmuseuM should be a force to be reckoned with, and in the slip cover along with all the regular thank you stuff, they promise us one thing: "
The crusade is just beginning. Live metal forever with us it is truly eternal!!"
So does
PainmuseuM deliver? In short yes they certainly do, this is old school metal of the best kind, the kind that metal was build on in the 80's, the kind you listen to with nostalgic tears in your eyes.
The Devine Birth of Tragedy
I heard that a newborn is to be seen as a blessing, and this little blessing kicks off in a majestic manor, when it gets going it slides straight into:
Speak the Name
The track progresses from the intro into a great old school thrash riff backed up by a vicious scream that brings back memories of the Mad Butcher and the German thrashers
Destruction, only shortly after to go into a deep and raw growl, which really gets the tune moving. The tune is sort of a mix between
Judas Priest (well from working with
Halford for three albums, you would think that Metal Mike has picked up a trick or two) and early death. So you might as well start banging you head, because you'll be banging it for the rest of the album.
Hosanna Hosanna
Did anyone say old school metal? This reeks of 80's
Metallica and Megadeth, and it sure is a good smell! The vocals switch between growl and scream, which gives the track that little bit extra, and along with hard kicking riffs it makes for an aggressive track.
Words Kill Everything
Kicks in with a melodic riff (which also works as the hook for the tune) that almost wants to make you dance, dance? Did I say dance? Well bang your head then. the verse is a straight ahead hard pounding riff, a nice bridge, that breaks the tune up a bit, only to return with a vengeance in the chorus that is just as in your face as the verse.
American Metalhead
There's no mistaking that Metal Mike and
PainmuseuM digs the sound of 80's metal. You don't hear the thick Mesa Boogie tube driven amp here, and no high end PRS guitar like you do in most Nu Metal, this is straight up aggressive 80's guitar sound, made the good ol' way with the a Marshall top and a Jackson RR1. This is old school metal, the way it's supposed to sound and be played, and the Schmiere (
Destruction) inspired vocals, which are back for this tune, just nail it all together.
Dogs in a Cage
This track reminds me a lot of
Destruction, but this time it is more the music than the vocals, not that I look for comparisons but the riffs are similar to
Destruction's way of building a tune. The drums pound their way through the track and really work as the driving force.
Live and Die
Groove, yes groove Live and
Die has groove written all over it, and Tim Clairbone's clean singing in the chorus is a nice twist and a contrast to the massive amount of screams and growls. This is not a complaint but Clairbone's vocals in the chorus just give this album an extra twist and an added bonus.
Burn Flesh Burn
Dave Mustaine's legacy is big and Metal Mike will not let you forget that, the riffs are a tribute to this living legend without sounding like they are stolen or copied. Dave Mustaine, Metal Mike salutes you with a great tune!
PainmuseuM (Metal For Life)
The title track is yet another metal epic, this album is just packed with gems, and the solo is yet another classic must do metal thing: Shred and a good workout for the whammy bar!
Bloody Wings
A bit of a rockier tune than the other tracks, Tim Clairbone's vocals reminds me of Kate French (of Chastain). This is a bit more modern sounding, meaning that somehow it sounds a bit like a dirtier and grittier version of
Nightwish (without the operatic lines), which you would think would be out of place on Metal For Life, but it just isn't.
I am your Keeper
We start out with pure metal musical heaven, then 2 and a half min in, Clairbone's vocals kicks in, even more evil than before, and this just adds to the pure energy of this tune, which somehow also manages to groove and have melodic hook lines.
(Untitled)
This track isn't even listed, but that doesn't make it bad. Bobby Jarzombek starts this one with a great drum intro, and then goes into thrash mode, and stays there!
PainmuseuM sure closes while making sure that you remember why this album is made, and with an album like Metal for Life, it is very hard to not believe that metal is eternal.
Bottom line:
This is not a metal album for the faint at heart, this is metal for the old school and the thrashers. If you like the likes of
Judas Priest,
Destruction and
Exodus you'll love
PainmuseuM and Metal For Life. Even if you aren't an old schooler, this is a great album, one that will demand that you open up to it's charm and great music, and if you let it, it will keep on giving for a long time, with all kinds of parts you hadn't discovered last time you listened to Metal For Life.
Written by
Morten Thursday, July 28, 2005
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