J-Man As far as groovy, thrashy, and completely badass hardcore goes, there aren't many bands that rival the New York pioneers in Pro-Pain. For roughly twenty years, these guys have been pumping out uncensored audio assaults that blur the line between thrash metal and hardcore, and 2013's The Final Revolution once again shows Pro-Pain doing what they do best. Sure, the band's own evolution in recent years has been minimal at most, but as long as they keep releasing records as consistent and enjoyable as this one, it's tough to complain.

The Final Revolution's main focus seems to be on grooves, grooves, and more grooves - the riffs here are infectiously catchy at times, and even though this is a very aggressive and “in-your-face” type of album, each track features the sort of mosh-inducing licks that we've come to expect from Pro-Pain over the years. Factor in Adam Phillips' exceptional lead guitar work and Gary Meskil's passionately angry vocal performance, and it's clear that The Final Revolution is another strong entry in Pro-Pain's discography. A revolution it is not, but a solid offering of thrashy hardcore awesomeness it sure is.

Time Signature One shot, one kill...

Genre: hardcore / groove / crossover

A force to be reckoned with, Pro-Pain are still going strong, and "The Final Revolution" is yet another lesson in the power of their brand of hardcore-based groovy crossover metal. Not much innovation has taken place in their style over the last couple of albums, but, if it works, it works, and - guess what - it works.

The opening track 'Deathwish' is fiercely metallic, featuring both palm-muted tremolo picking and crushingly heavy and groovy passages, while 'One Shot' One Kill' features riffage and grooves akin to, and superior to, nu metal. 'Southbound' neatly combines the directions of the two previous albums, and the tone for the album is set. Add thrash metal rage - as in the title track, 'All Systems Fail' , to the mix. The final ingredient is naturally hardcore punk, which is dominant in tracks like 'Problem-Reaction-Solution', 'Mass Extinction' and 'Under the Gun'.

And there you have it, a potent onslaught of thrashy aggression, hardcore energy, and crushing grooves. This is what Pro-Pain do best, and, on this album, they stick to their guns, resulting in an incredibly empowering and mosh-inspiring slab of an album. Fans of the band are definitely bond to enjoy it.

In terms of songwriting, Pro-Pain's effort is solid, but not really innovative - and it really doesn't have to be. The performance is rock solid with every crushing groove being precisely delivered. Unlike many other releases within the same genre "The Final Revolution" features some pretty impressive guitar solos, which is definitely an aspect of this album that I really appreciate. The production is brutal and well-defined with the bass being nicely audible.

"The Final Revolution" is Pro-Pain doing what the do best: grooving, thrashing, hardcoring, and crossing over. Fans of groovy hardcore, heavy thrash, and crossover should definitely check it out.