PainmuseuM – Metal For Life

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Demolition Records
Produced by Metal Mike Chlasciak

There is no one more metal than this man. A man who has released several insanely heavy guitar instrumental albums, played with heavy metal giants like Rob Halford, Testament and now Sebastian Bach, and has now formed a band with some of the top players in metal. Metal Mike Chlasciak lives for heavy metal. And not many make metal heavier than he does. His riffs and solos are punishing, as anyone who has listened to his work with Halford will testify, and anyone who owns his instrumental albums may still be able to tell you if they haven’t passed out.

PainmuseuM is his latest thing, following his collaboration with Hammerfall front man Joacim Cans and his self-titled Cans outfit. For this he brings onboard one of the best metal drummers in the World and long time band mate in Halford and now in Sebastian Bach’s band Bobby Jarzombek (currently in Iced Earth) and bass-monster Steve DiGiorgio (ex-Testament). So, the players need no introduction. The unknown quantity in PainmuseuM is ex-Hatred vocalist Tim Clairborne. A combination of Rob Halford, Bobby Elsworth and Jesse Leach (ex-Killswitch Engage), Tim’s vocals are very, very metal; just the way Mike likes it. I would say they’re probably an acquired taste. If you don’t like growlers, you won’t like it. If you don’t like high-pitched stuff like Judas Priest or Overkill, you won’t like it. If you like either or both, you’ll be fine, but expect far more Jesse Leach stylings than Rob Halford.

Now, it has to be said, this is not the most varied album ever released. It’s straight ahead, full-blooded metal from start to finish. The only track to demonstrate any kind of variation is Bloody Wings, which has a far more catchy and melodically sung chorus than the rest. Following which song is which is a little tricky, as the track listing on the back of the CD is wrong. The instrumental The Divine Birth of Tragedy opens the album, crashing in with a heavy, slow riff before the first proper track, Speak The Name breaks free and hurtles into the distance like someone being advanced upon by Sharon Osbourne. Hosana Hosanna continues in a similar vein, but not quite as fast. On this one, the lyrics are pretty unintelligible, but the riffs are cool and the “Hosanna Hosanna” chant in the chorus is cool. There’s an odd lack of soloing, however. “Words Kill Everything” is another song in the same vein as the first two. American Metalhead is a little different (but only a little). The riff is a little heavier than the previous three tracks, and the lyrics are largely understandable. The pace is slower and there’s a good, but short solo. Dogs In A Cage has ‘Jarzombek’ stamped all over it. It starts with a classic Bobby Jarzombek drum flourish, and the main rhythms are typical of his work. The solo on this one is very cool. It’s a brutal song.

Here’s where things start to go a little wrong in the track listing. Live And Die comes next, which should have been at number nine (we’re only at seven). The chorus to this one is far more conventional. This may or may not be the influence of ex-Annihilator vocalist and Ex-Overkill guitarist Joe Comeau. He’s noted in the liner as having contributed “additional vocal performance”, but it doesn’t say which songs he’s on. He also recorded and engineered the album. Best song of the album so far – heavy, mid-paced, great solo, great chorus. To round out the album we have Burn Flesh Burn, which is another mid-paced one with intelligible vocals and a great guitar melody in the chorus, the self titled PainmuseuM (Metal For Life) which is a return to the opening few tracks – fast-paced and less understandable – Bloody Wings with it’s aforementioned catchy chorus and another firm stamp from Bobby, and deadly closer I Am Your Keeper.

This is a brutal, pure metal album with slightly unconventional vocals. I don’t think it showcases Mike’s playing as well as it could have done. This could have been an opportunity for Mike to really show what he’s capable of, but I think he holds back a bit. Especially on solos, which perhaps he felt some of the songs didn’t need. I also have the same criticism of his tone as I did when the album with Joacim Cans came out. At times it’s entirely too bright. It’s not as de-tuned and downright nasty as it perhaps should be for someone who really lives for heavy metal. For the Cans album, it worked very well. Joacim Cans isn’t the most sinister person in metal. But the tone of this album is altogether darker, and the guitar tone doesn’t quite match. However, it’s a strong album, and if you fancy three quarters of an hour of heads down, full tilt metal, you could do a lot worse than this. None more metal.

“ brutal, pure metal ”

Tracklist: The Divine Birth of Tragedy / Speak The Name / Hosana Hosana / Words Kill Everything / American Metalhead / Dogs In A Cage / Live And Die / Burn Flesh Burn / PainmuseuM (Metal For Life) / Bloody Wings / I Am Your Keeper

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Heavy Metal (Extreme Vocals), PainmuseuM