Pain : "Coming Home"

After collaborating with Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann, Peter Tagtgren has elevated himself in experience not only as a musician, but as a producer and songwriter. There is a more more commercial leaning to the opening song that has less of the typical industrial metal sound and more rock n roll to it. That big industrial metal that even Dimmu dips into can be felt on the second song "Call Me". Lindemann makes an appearance here as well.  The lyrics to this song are a lot of fun. "A Wannabe" backs off and has almost a H.I.M if a dose of super-slickly produced radio metal was pumped into the emotional rock. Symphonic strings and strummed guitars fill the spaces , though it doesn't feel as inspired to me.

There is a more driving chug to "Pain in the Ass".  The chorus fills a little cluttered. On paper I am sure this song works more than it does  here.  There are similar problems on "Black Knight Satellite" where is just more upbeat and polished than I like my industrial. The melodic content of the title track takes the edge off. I guess over dramatic goth girls might like this as it's in the same realm of heaviness as Night Wish. By the time we get to the title track I am thinking how it's a shame that this album gave us glimpses of how pop inflected industrial strength metal can work, yet that fun is shattered by a larger display of what it doesn't work. There are just no balls to the title track, yet some of the melodies and grooves could work if they were not slathered in cheese filled synths.

"Absinthe Phoenix Rising" reminds me of Blur at first. It's too happy and upbeat. It does improve for a second when it slows into more of a groove. If you were in Hypocrisy then you are expected to be able to bring heavier than a "Beautiful People" rip-off like "Final Crusade". The intro to "Natural Born Idiot" gives me a little more hope. This hope is popped like a balloon when it breaks down into the verse.The chorus to this song is terrible fluff. The heavier riffs can't save it. Going into the last song "Starseed" I was pessimist after the turn the album had taken and it was really make or break for this band.The chorus is where they lost me rather than hooked and made me come to the conclusion that what this band does Mindless Self Indulgence does better. I'll give this album a 6 because it gets off to a strong start before choking you on this sonic cotton candy that is more fluff than not.