Published on Jan 1, 2002
Someone should buy Peter Tagtgren a fish tank… a jigsaw
puzzle… a
Where’s Waldo book…
something to give this guy a hobby other than music. I lost
count a long time ago of how many bands Tagtgren’s working with
(the best known undoubtedly Hypocrisy), and how many groups he’s
produced in the last few years. In terms of staying busy, Tagtgren
is the Frank Zappa of extreme metal.
Yet Tagtgren has a side to his music that wants to break out of
the death/speed/grind-core aspect – which is what Pain is for.
Essentially a one-man band, Tagtgren shows on Pain’s latest effort
Rebirth that the most qualified person to do a musical
marriage of electronic rock and metal is someone who has their
roots firmly grounded in the metal scene. And, for the most part,
Tagtgren does things amazingly well. If only he had that one
missing element which would keep the listener hooked into every
beat and note.
For someone who is almost legendary in the metal community,
Tagtgren is to be commended for staying in the world of
industrial/electronic rock as much as he does with these 11 songs.
It would have been far too easy for Tagtgren to have relied on
lightning-fast rhythms and crunching guitar parts to carry Pain’s
sound. Instead, he focuses on keyboards and his own vocals, and
delivers results which may pleasantly surprise even his most loyal
fans.
It’s not the easiest transition, though. While the opening track
“Supersonic Bitch” is a pleasant enough outing, it doesn’t have the
hook musically which is able to keep someone’s interest throughout
the entire song. It’s not that Tagtgren doesn’t know how to seal
the deal musically – “End Of The Line,” “Breathing In, Breathing
Out” and “She Whipped” are stellar examples of how good this genre
can be. But this particular track is missing something which could
have pushed it over the edge and into the upper echelon of songs on
Rebirth – and I don’t pretend to have the answer to that
mystery.
Indeed, there is not a bad song on
Rebirth – though I admit I’m at a loss to explain the
transitional piece “12:42” and what it was meant to accomplish. Yet
there are times when Tagtgren falls just short of the bullseye, and
there are times when he sends the musical dart clean through the
board. Why a track like “Suicide Machine” succeeds and another like
“Dark Fields Of Pain” doesn’t measure up as well, I don’t know
exactly.
Rebirth also includes a video for “End Of The Line” – just
don’t ask me to explain what the hell is going on in it, because I
can’t even begin to decipher it. (Obviously, Tagtgren has seen a
few Nine Inch Nails videos.)
Everyone needs some side project to vent off a little steam from
one’s day job, and
Rebirth is proof that Pain is a great project for Tagtgren.
Even with my quibbles (which are minor), it’s well worth the time
to check this one out.