Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Drain - Living Proof (2023)

Whenever I see a picture of Drain vocalist Sammy Ciaramitaro he is always grinning like a person who is living his best life.  That enjoyment for their art form certainly bleeds through after listening through Living Proof even just once.  This a record made by a band who are having fun on every one of the twenty-five minutes that this record runs for.  Those crossover vibes are still the driving force behind the bands sound but there are obvious spasms of metalcore that pop into the tracks also and these occasional breakdowns are a successful bolt-on to the bouncing thrash riffs that we are more familiar with.

The experimentation ventures even further though on Living Proof with rapper, Shakewell guesting on Intermission and the band go off into dreamy yet catchy punk-pop on Good Good Things.  Look beyond these more blatant breaks from the blueprint and you will note groove metal excursions - check out the solo on opening track Run your Luck for a prime piece of Dimebag worship - alongside the crossover familiarity.  On the whole though, regardless of the medium used to deliver the message, it is clear that Drain have a lot to say on this album.  That aforementioned smile on Sammy's face has a snarl behind it with some venomous content to keep those hardcore vibes on the menu.  With such a brief run time it would be easy for the record to pass you by, but it is so damn punchy and gnarly (as well as downright catchy as fuck in places), you find yourself actively listening to the whole album.

One of the unexpected releases for me to latch onto in 2023, Living Proof is a fun yet still utterly grown-up record that has caught me off-guard with just how much I like it.   Sammy's smile is quite infectious as it turns out.  I am certainly grinning enough anyways.