Very Subdued and Grey
M. Mierzwa | Davis, CA USA | 06/17/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The title says it all. Pain Station's third release, Cold is very subdued. The pace is slow, making it harder to easily classify the sub-genre that this album might fit in. If I had to provide a similar artist, I guess I might say that tracks like "Guinea Pig" and "So Alive" remind me of Don Gordon's (Numb) work.
My picks for stand out tracks are "Dead Inside", "Braindead", and "Slaughterhouse". Obviously, Tom Shear's (Assemblage 23) "Slaughterhouse (rmx)" is dancefloor ready and will likely appeal to more people, but I actually like the original version a bit more. I'd like to add that Dirk Ivens (Dive) fans will probably really enjoy the Converter remix of "Aftermath", as I've always felt that Dirk's music has had a significant influence on Scott's Converter material.
The music is interesting, and it is the type of music I'll hear on industrial radio shows, but not at dance clubs. I like the album, but not nearly as much as Pain Station's second album Disjointed. If you like Numb or Dive, you'll like Cold.
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