Payn - Promo 2003
2003 - Self released.
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Payn website.
Hailing from the Wolverhampton and Walsall areas of the West Midlands of England, Payn are a band local to me, so my first experience of them was in the live arena. I'd been waiting a while after catching their ferocious live performances to find out how their mixture of thrash, heavy metal and more groove-laden rock would translate to CD. It was lucky for me then to be handed a promotional copy of the tracks that will form Payn's first two EPs, to be released through Pheonix Records.
Kicking off with the Pantera-on-steroids kick of 'God Damn', the first thing you notice is that for a promo from a generally new band, the production is pretty damn punchy. The guitars are thick and crisp, the vocals clear, the drums packing a decent impact and the bass not just an indiscernable rumble in the background. Then, as the disc progresses, you notice the performances of the musicians - these guys know their way around their instruments. Rhythm and lead guitars lock into lead-heavy grooves that combine with the drums and the bass guitar to make an irresistably heavy noise that combines influences from Metallica, Pantera, Slayer with an ability to switch from full-on mosh-pit assaults to more melodic passages, with occasional keyboard interludes and acoustic solos (as in the outro to 'My Name Is A Killing Word').
The vocals generally are throaty growls a la Phil Anselmo, and a credible (if perhaps ill-advised) stab at an American accent is attempted throughout (I suppose a thick Black Country brogue wouldn't be appropriate to this sort of music). All in all, this is a very promising peek at the future from an energetic, intense band. While it may not quite have the same effect on me as their manic live gigs, it still hints that in coming months, Payn may well be a name that you'll be hearing a lot more of.
7.5/10
2003 - Self released.
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Payn website.
Hailing from the Wolverhampton and Walsall areas of the West Midlands of England, Payn are a band local to me, so my first experience of them was in the live arena. I'd been waiting a while after catching their ferocious live performances to find out how their mixture of thrash, heavy metal and more groove-laden rock would translate to CD. It was lucky for me then to be handed a promotional copy of the tracks that will form Payn's first two EPs, to be released through Pheonix Records.
Kicking off with the Pantera-on-steroids kick of 'God Damn', the first thing you notice is that for a promo from a generally new band, the production is pretty damn punchy. The guitars are thick and crisp, the vocals clear, the drums packing a decent impact and the bass not just an indiscernable rumble in the background. Then, as the disc progresses, you notice the performances of the musicians - these guys know their way around their instruments. Rhythm and lead guitars lock into lead-heavy grooves that combine with the drums and the bass guitar to make an irresistably heavy noise that combines influences from Metallica, Pantera, Slayer with an ability to switch from full-on mosh-pit assaults to more melodic passages, with occasional keyboard interludes and acoustic solos (as in the outro to 'My Name Is A Killing Word').
The vocals generally are throaty growls a la Phil Anselmo, and a credible (if perhaps ill-advised) stab at an American accent is attempted throughout (I suppose a thick Black Country brogue wouldn't be appropriate to this sort of music). All in all, this is a very promising peek at the future from an energetic, intense band. While it may not quite have the same effect on me as their manic live gigs, it still hints that in coming months, Payn may well be a name that you'll be hearing a lot more of.
7.5/10
