There are
many good bands out there that put out great music. There are of course also a
terribly big bunch of shitty bands that for some odd reason are allowed to send
out their awful audio assaults. Then there are the good bands that put out
special albums. Like this one.
Cycle of Pain consists of Black Label Society bassist JD and his buddies Joe
Taylor (guitar), Rich Monica (drums) and Gregg Locascio (vocals). They have
separate careers in among other outfits Rich Kotzen, Lit Ford, Doro, Vinnie
Moore, Drill and BLS, but their friendship and jam sessions have now resulted in
this debut album.
I think this is a quite special and very enjoyable album. The production is
organic and warm, a real hard rock sound. The compositions are fundamentally
rock and roll and as such the formulas are tried before, but yet, it's quite eclectic
and several inspirational sources are drawn upon. Also, a long list of colleagues
have added to the melting pot of metal and rock that forms this album; Zakk
Wylde, Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, Burton Bell and Ray Luzier from Korn are a few
of those who have contributed to 'Cycle of Pain' - not a bad crowd to include,
I'd say!
The album has AC/DC, it has Soundgarden, it has Sabbath, it has Alice In Chains,
it's got funk, it's got rap, it's got ballady stuff and Fear Factory brutality. There are so many of the
things I love in music and metal on 'Cycle of Pain', and all of the elements
have been put together in a professional and intelligent way. I can feel in my
bones that this is one of the albums I will be returning to frequently in the
future. I like!
