Unfortunately, it is often the case that – and early pubescent youth revolutionaries learn this quickly – "going against" and "standing up to" does not always lead to the desired success or lacks any foundation. Whether "World of Pain" and their album "Improsive & Survive" can also be placed under this umbrella remains to be seen.
At the latest after the second song, one thing becomes clear: This band follows a straight and consistent line, where even an ICE would begin to rave about its own "legroom":
A voice that sounds like a mix of Rawside and Madball (Why do these two names always come up in such reviews? Probably because they all sound quite similar?) constantly screams the aggressive mood from the singer, while the rest of the orchestra acts accordingly: The guitar delivers a fat sound throughout the 6 songs and refuses to include any musical pieces that would fall under the term "solo". So, one can look forward to about 20 minutes of concentrated rhythm-guitar power that can blow your mind away if the volume is set right.
In the background, the drums provide a really great rhythm, which the guitar partner knows how to embellish musically quite well. This is especially noticeable in the first seconds of the song "Us Versus Them", which I would like to crown as my favorite. Here, "World of Pain" has truly managed to set a hallmark that I can genuinely associate with their band name. Otherwise, a relatively similar speed is maintained here as well, offering hardly any noteworthy innovations.
I find my thought experiment less pleasant:
Even though I like the song, I am unsure of the motivation behind it. Of course, the song has real qualities to offer and knows how to please through the right use of all means. However, I am haunted by the dark thought that the relatively monotonous backdrop makes this song stand out even more. The rhythm and sound are always very similar and thus quite pronounced. Of course, it is also nice to blast the music sphere into your head, but most of the time, there are other songs circulating that offer something different than the eternal pounding.
Unfortunately, "Improsive & Survive" has to contend with this harsh reality: In a completely oversaturated market, one must have a few edges and corners to gain lasting attention. The band's qualities are there, that cannot be denied, but they are also just a small flame that only flickers when you get closer to examine it.
However, if one can build on the qualities of "Us Versus Them", then a small upgrade should certainly be possible. Otherwise, I fear, the band will only gain attention from old-school fans. They have also managed to spark a bit of interest in me. A more demanding and variety-seeking audience will likely turn away bored after a short time if the pounding course is not sprinkled with a few nuances and special features.
But seriously: Who wants to please everyone anyway? Going against is way cooler…
