‘Stone Cold Anger’ Is A Solid Return For Pro-Pain

By: Philip Sayblack / Phil's Picks

Late next month, hardcore metal act Pro-Pain will release its first new album in more than a decade when it drops Stone Cold Anger.  The record will be the band’s first for its new label home, Napalm Records.  Clocking in at roughly 31-minutes across 10 songs, this record packs a big punch in that short run time from beginning to end.  Its success comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which will be discussed shortly.  The lyrical themes that accompany said content add to the record’s appeal and will be examined a little later.  The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole.  Each item noted is important to the whole of the record.  All things considered they make Stone Cold Anger a mostly positive return for this veteran hardcore outfit.
Stone Cold Anger, the latest album from Pro-Pain, is a strong new offering from the band.  That is saying a lot considering that more than a decade has passed since the release of the band’s then latest album, Voice of Rebellion (2015).  The album’s appeal comes in large part through its featured musical arrangements, which offer audiences a blend of the band’s familiar hardcore style compositions that are easily likened to works from the likes of Hatebreed, Madball, Earth Crisis, etc.  with more melodic metal a la Prong’s heavier, melodic works.  Hearing those more melodic moments with front man Gary Meskil actually sounding somewhat like Prong front man Tommy Victor in those more melodic moments.  The sequencing of those songs, taking that variety into mind, does plenty to keep things interesting throughout the record’s run time.  That is because the sequencing thereof changes things up just enough from one track to the next to keep things interesting.
The songs that are included in Stone Cold Anger make for a strong starting point for this album and are just part of what makes the album worth hearing.  The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical body make for their own interest.  The lyrical themes vary a bit more than the musical arrangements, presenting a wider range of content.  The album’s lead single, ‘Oceans of Blood’ for instance, is a clear socio-politically charged work.  Meskil made that clear in an interview about the single, noting, “The frustration of people worldwide regarding the rampant corruption and criminality of their governments has reached a breaking point.  Wars are being waged in their name without any consent, funded by their own hard earned tax dollars.  With rising living costs and inflation eroding the value of money, tensions are rising.  We’ve already seen this reach a critical level in countries, like Sri Lanka, France, and more recently, Nepal, where citizens have taken drastic actions against corrupt politicians, even resorting to violence and destruction of property…”  Such material is nothing new to the rock and metal communities and honestly is no less impacting here than in other cases from Pro-Pain’s contemporaries.
Another notable theme comes in another of the album’s singles, ‘Scorched Earth.’  Instead of the political fare from the album’s lead single, this song’s theme is more social.  As Meskil pointed out of the song that it “explores what happens when ordinary are pushed to their breaking point.  Drawing inspiration from films, such as the 1990s Michael Douglas drama Falling Down, the lyrics examine how pressure, frustration, and a sense of powerlessness can build over time.  The song speaks to themes of reckoning, consequence, and genuine accountability.”  So what audiences get here is a powerful, hard hitting musical arrangement coupled with a lyrical theme that is fully relatable and in turn accessible.  The resultant therapeutic impact thereof makes this song yet another important addition to the album’s presentation. 
‘Rinse & Repeat,’ is yet another key addition to the album’ in regard to its lyrical content.  The opener to the album’s second half, this “deep cut” seems to deliver a message of protest against the control that religion has on the world.  Being that this is not one of the album’s singles (at least not at the time of this review’s posting), lyrics are not available.  From what can be understood from a close listen, Meskil makes mention early in the song that “evil lurks in the church.”  That certainly seems to be a cut and dry statement.  He later states, “We’re all baptized in guilt/So wash away those sins/Come clean and ask yourself/Should God save us now/When Salvation’s close?”  This is pretty straight forward.  That mention of there being “evil in the church” includes a statement about the evil being there “to divide/divert and deceive.”  Again, this is very true.  This certainly comes across as a damning indictment of religious leadership in America today.  If it is not then one would certainly be interested to learn the truth of the theme.  If it is the theme, then it is another familiar topic that resonates with audiences just as much here as in so many other cases.  To that end, when this theme is considered alongside the others examined here and that trio with the rest of the album’s lyrical themes, the whole therein makes the record’s lyrical body just as important as its musical side.  Keeping all of that in mind, the content featured throughout Stone Cold Anger more than gives audiences reason to take in this album.
Putting the final touch to the album is the record’s production.  It goes without saying that Stone Cold Anger is a heavy record.  It is intense.  Those behind the boards are to be applauded for ensuring the balance of each song’s balance of instrumental and vocal performances.  From one song to the next, each performance sees the performances complimenting one another expertly.  The result is that each song hits listeners with an intense “punch” with the result being a presentation that audiences new and established alike will appreciate for this aesthetic element.  When the positive impact of the record’s production is considered alongside all of its content, the whole makes Stone Cold Anger a solid return for Pro-Pain that shows this band has not lost a single step even having been away for such a long time.  It makes itself a record that is one more welcome addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Stone Cold Anger, the forthcoming brand-new album from Pro-Pain, is a solid new offering from the band that firmly re-establishes the band and its place within the hard rock and metal community.  That is proven in part through its intense musical arrangements, which offer listeners something familiar and something slightly newer but still familiar in its own right.  The record’s lyrical themes are just as heavy as the record’s musical arrangements and as accessible as ever.  The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole, ensuring its easiness on the ears.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of this record.  All things considered they make Stone Cold Anger arguably one of the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums so far.
Pro-Pain has an extensive European tour planned to support its new album. The tour is scheduled to launch May 13 in Essen, Germany and to run through Nov. 21 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The tour’s schedule is noted below:
PRO-PAIN LIVE 2026:
5/13 — Essen, DE — Turock
5/14 — Osnabrück, DE — Bastard Club
5/15 — Alkmaar, NL — HAL25 Herrie Festival
5/16 — Halle, BE — Skallyfest
5/22 — Loburg, DE — Wir Leben Laut Festival
5/23 — Malle, BE — Kemphe Onderstroom
6/5 — Emmen, NL — Pitfest
6/6 — Tilburg, NL — Little Devil
6/12 — Leipzig, DE — Red Bull Arena
6/13 — Leipzig, DE — Red Bull Arena
6/14 — Kassel, DE — Goldgrube
6/19 — Fehrbellin, DE — Protzen Open Air Festival
6/20 — Lübeck, DE — Riders Cafe
6/26 — Szczecin, PL — Hells Bells Festival
6/27 — Avesta, SE — Krylbomangel Festival
7/2 — Trutnov, CZ — Obscene Extreme Festival
7/3 — Frankfurt, DE — Deutsche Bank Park
7/4 — Frankfurt, DE — Deutsche Bank Park
7/10 — Cologne, DE — MTC Club
7/11 — Gelsenkirchen, DE — Veltins Arena
7/16 — Nottertal-Heilinger Höhen, DE — G.O.N.D. Festival
7/17 — Marienberg, DE — Rock Auf Dem Berg Festival
7/18 — Marburg, DE — KFZ Marburg
7/24 — Munich, DE — Free & Easy Festival
7/25 — Olomouc, CZ — Pod Parou Festival
8/21 — Schmelz, DE — Heartcore Island Open Air Festival
8/22 — Freiburg, DE — Crash
8/29 — Wallesau, DE — Wallesau Ist Blau Festival
11/14 — Eindhoven, NL — Helldorado Festival
11/21 — Eindhoven, NL — Revolution Calling Festival
Stone Cold Anger is scheduled for release May 15.  More information on the album is available along with all of Pro-Pain’s latest news at:
Website: https://pro-pain.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/propainhardcore
Twitter: https://twitter.com/propainarmy