When Peter Tägtgren first revealed his then new project PAIN back in 1997 it turned many heads. Famously known in the Heavy Metal world as the leader of Sweden’s Death Metal icons Hypocrisy, PAIN was enigma to dedicated followers because sonically it laid somewhere more in the realm of Industrial Metal than anything else. Unafraid of showing other sides of his creative prism, Tägtgren invested ample time into developing PAIN, and following the 1997 self-titled debut, found himself breaking down walls with audiences; first with 1999’s Rebirth featuring great tracks like “On and On,” and then 2002’s Nothing Remains the Same, including favorites such as “Shut Your Mouth.” Solidifying PAIN outside of his efforts with Hypocrisy, not only did he earn the respect of his already dedicated fanbase, but also focused new eyes on his brilliances as each PAIN album beginning with Rebirth up into 2016’s Coming Home found themselves peaking on charts all over Europe.
Really a cool story of how a musician can successfully express different faucets of themselves, naturally, Tägtgren has been extremely busy over the last couple of decades with Hypocrisy, production for others, PAIN, as well as his collaboration with Ramnmstein’s Till Lindemann in the form of Lindemann. Also building the project as a full-fledged touring act, now after a cycle of Hypocrisy work, which included the 2021 album Worship, plus some touring, PAIN return in 2024 with the album I Am. The ninth overall PAIN album, as always, it is very interesting to see what direction Tägtgren takes the material. Looking back for a moment, because after all it has been 8 long years since Coming Home, those last efforts were certainly a fun mix of Alternative Metal with Industrial Metal that worked together well. An album that featured such memorable tracks as “Call Me,” let us not forget that it was not all silent on the PAIN front since then… because in 2021 Tägtgren did a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” but also put out the original “Party in My Head.” Nice entries, I Am takes matters in a bit of a different direction than most recent PAIN material, and it might excite some.
Set for release on May 17, 2024 through Nuclear Blast Records, I Am comes at you with 11 high octane tracks (including “Party in My Head”) and finds itself somewhere in between earlier PAIN records like Rebirth and 2007’s Dancing with the Dead. With this, the album also finds itself feeling like an extension of the often-discussed 2002 Hypocrisy album Catch-22. Perhaps a hodgepodge of a description, to simplify it all, I Am truly encompasses all elements that Tägtgren has tinkered with in PAIN’s world over the last twenty plus years.
Really something that is appealing if you have paid attention to this journey, what is even more exciting is these songs are fresh, energetic, and full of Tägtgren’s tongue-in-cheek poke at society at large. Unable to disguise his observations of the disaster that is the world, nor should he, Tägtgren’s lyrics will have you smirking, singing along, and realizing you are not alone in your thoughts. Something that he has always excelled at, whether it be with Hypocrisy on songs like 2004’s “Slave to the Parasites” and 2021’s “Chemical Whore,” or with PAIN on tracks like 2005’s “Third Wave” and 2007’s “Clouds of Ecstasy,” I Am has many shining additions to objective criticism of the circus that is our world. This considered, some big winners on this new PAIN collection have to include the very catchy “Go with The Flow,” “Not for Sale,” and “The New Norm.” However, it would be wrong to exclude “Revolution”; a song which speaks on the current state of our cultures and the brainwashing that is universally being carried out in many corners of the globe.
Truly a cathartic release for those screaming from within, I Am is yet another unapologetic musical effort from Peter Tägtgren and his alter ego PAIN. He successfully keeps things interesting and delivers one of the best PAIN records yet. That is why Cryptic Rock gives I Am 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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