Straight from the Heart, Mind and Soul - A Review of Pain's I Am

Eight years after Pain's last studio record Coming Home and numerous recordings with Lindemann, Peter Tägtgren has finally released the group's ninth full length effort that had been preceded by four singles. Even though much time has passed between these two studio records, they sound very similar and are also of a similar quality. Peter Tägtgren has finally come home for real and has also involved his son Sebastian again.

The final result offers eleven danceable industrial rock tracks. Some of them are melodious, others catchy enough to become successful live material and then there are a few fillers here and there that rush by without leaving a deeper impression. The focused musicianship is solid, the modern production suits the genre well and the songwriting is pleasantly precise without any unnecessary experiments, lengths or surprises.

Highlights include danceable, memorable and quirky single "Party in My Head" as well as another single entitled "Push the Pusher" that sounds creative, energetic and entertaining despite being the longest song on the output. A special shoutout goes to atmospheric deep cut "My Angel" featuring guest singer Cécile Siméone who has been collaborating with Pain in the past and who has excellent chemistry with Peter Tägtgren. His dark vocals and her light performance complete each other splendidly. The fact that she performs French lyrics adds a charming touch to this album highlight.

Speaking of the lyrics, they are of a very good quality on this record. They are at times emotional, sometimes memorable and every now and then even surprising. It's obvious that they come straight from Peter Tägtgren's heart, mind and soul. The album title I Am is thus a perfect choice. The use of swear words isn't included for shock value but to bring across heartfelt messages. The lyrics indeed offer food for thought and discussion.

As stated before, Pain's ninth studio record I Am is going to please fans of old date and is on a similar level as immediate predecessor Coming Home. Thanks to several catchy singles and an outstanding deep cut, I would even rate this output slightly higher than the eighth studio album. This album has truly grown upon me the longer it lasted. If you like industrial rock with gripping lyrics and want to support the Tägtgren family project, then make sure to pick this beautiful album up and attend one of the group's energetic concerts.

Final Rating: 70%