Pro-Pain

Astonishingly, this is Pro-Pain's 14th album, so they know what they're doing: huge grooves (see "Want Some?") laid over mid-to-fast New York hardcore with a big metal overtone, and that's it. It's like Biohazard, but less embarrassing and desperate. What else is there to say? It's a good, solid album, and I'm starting to think that no one does this particular strain of hardcore better than Pro-Pain. If a tune like "Emerge" doesn't just make you feel on top of the world, well, you don't like tough-guy groove-filled metallic hardcore, and there's plenty wrong with that. (Also, as a Canadian, I have no idea what "the grass is always greener on the west side of Texas" means, but it sounds completely awesome when spat out with as much conviction as it is on "Under the Gun.")