Pain
Dancing With The Dead

THE REVIEW

It's complicated for someone to accept the idea that Peter Tagtgren, the true king of excess and extreme metal, known for his escapades with the Death metal band Hypocrisy, would give free rein to his chromosomes of genuine musical eclecticism by leading Pain, which in 1996 was just an outlet, a one-off project, to the finish line of their fourth studio album almost ten years later. Experimentation seems to be Peter's watchword, the only common denominator that manages to unify his many activities. The love for music as such, independent of its multifaceted expressions and elementary categorizations, is what emerges powerfully throughout the pieces that compose ''Dancing With The Dead''. An electronic music filled with keyboards almost bordering on disco and techno music, still combined with dripping guitar distortions and a voice, Tagtgren's, that appears sometimes furious, sometimes more alluring, laying the foundations for the original mix flaunted by Pain in this work.

Melancholic, lively, striking, melodic, bold, obsessive, destabilizing, often and willingly characterized by easily assimilated choruses and clear Pop reminiscences; this is what distinguishes the music created by Peter's pen, a music I like to call ''car music'', for travelling, in two words: easy listening.

The opener ''Don't Count Me Out'' and the title track are particularly massive and aggressive, while it's with the first single ''Same Old Song'' that spirits are ignited: the atmosphere created by the ghostly keyboards is suggestive, Tagtgren's voice and distressed screams are penetrating; ''Nothing'' and ''The Tables Have Turned'' feature refrains that might be too repetitive yet damn catchy and get stuck in your head after two listens, but the gold medal for the best composition on the platter goes to ''Not Afraid To Die'': a song that captivates from start to finish with its Gothic/Pop evolution reminiscent of the most daring Crematory. Deserving of attention halfway through the album are also the duo ''Tear It Up'' and ''Bye/Die'', surely the two oddest tracks: in the former, the main vocal lines are quite reminiscent of Eminem(!), though the ever-present guitar distortion hits hard, much to my delight; in the latter, there's a sense of an improbable fusion between the Power-Pop of Terrorvision and minimal new-punk. The last part of the album is a bit more predictable and conventional (''My Misery'', ''Stay Away''), although, all things considered, the tension and enjoyment don't decrease excessively, not even when the smooth ''The Third Wave'' puts an end to these 47 minutes of promiscuity.

''Dancing With The Dead'' captures listen after listen with its disarming immediacy, its ease and growing passion. It's not a work you must have at all costs, you will have understood that, but for once genuineness, progress, inventiveness, and engaging songwriting coexist successfully.