Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Pain - Coming Home (2016)

8 albums in, Pain seems to be tapping out slightly. I can understand considering this album was released in the year of Pain's 20th anniversary. However, they just can't reach the perfect glory of their first 4 albums. With all that said, most of the songs here still show the great talent of Peter Tagtgren, so he ain't coming home anytime soon...

Pain have their usual industrial metal sound in Coming Home, this time blending the electronics they've had since the beginning with some newfound alt-metal elements that would come to greater form in their next album I Am. The lyrics are more suggestive than before, and they can also target society. The structures are also more diverse while maintaining the addictive catchy choruses. All that can make solid standouts, though a few songs end up sounding tamer than the rest.

We already get an excellent highlight in the opening track "Designed to Piss You Off". It starts off sound like the country metal-billy of Volbeat then rises into the usual industrial metal. It's so epic and catchy, especially in the chorus and lyrics, and it's already a clear hint of what to expect in the album. But an even greater standout is "Call Me". In the instrumentation, the industrial sound is blended with some epic power metal from bands like Unleash the Archers and Sabaton, especially with the latter band's vocalist Joakim Brodén guest appearing. I love that one! "A Wannabe" sounds more like one of Fear Factory's atmospheric ballads, though not as interesting.

"Pain in the A**" is aptly titled. If anyone thought Helloween was losing their seriousness, they haven't heard that sh*t yet. "Black Knight Satellite" brings back the epicness, sounding almost as progressive as Threshold. Another strong standout follows in the title track, as bittersweet melodies guide you through a tired middle-age man's view of life. The country-ish guitars might remind some of Johnny Cash. "Absinthe-Phoenix Rising" is too simple and weak, with the chorus sounding too punky in the pop-ish sense.

"Final Crusade" is obviously not an Iron Fire cover, but it has the melody of that band mixed with more of the electronics. "Natural Born Idiot" has the dark electronics of Emigrate, with relatable lyrics about society's struggles that help the song work greatly. Unlike the closing "Starseed" which tries to reach a symphonic climax but fails.

The bonus live DVD in the limited edition may be worth it for those who want to hear their classics performed live, but I prefer listening to the original album on its own. And in that album Coming Home, there's definitely a lot I can enjoy with all its creativity. However, a few tracks that are still good end up not having the energy needed. I say it's remarkable yet not as perfect as they were long ago....

Favorites: "Designed to Piss You Off", "Call Me", "Black Knight Satellite", "Coming Home", "Natural Born Idiot"