David Halbe 
Ironically, the new material sounds like a throwback to the band’s Crumbsuckers roots and I must admit, I like it.
Crossover Thrash is without a doubt one of my favorite forms of metal.
Crossover is a fusion of thrash metal and hardcore punk. This style emerged in the mid ‘80s, when hardcore punk bands like Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, and Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (D.R.I.), began to incorporate thrash metal elements into their songs. Prominent in New York’s hardcore scene, groups like Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags and Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.) were highly influential to this musical evolution.
Another band born out of this environment was Crumbsuckers, whose origins date back to 1982. Unfortunately, Crumbsucker’s relevancy was short lived, they only released two studio albums: Life Of Dreams (1986) and Beast On My Back (B.O.M.B.) (1988) before folding. In their wake, the band Pro-Pain was formed.
Pro-Pain has been active since 1991 and has released sixteen full-length albums with number seventeen, Stone Cold Anger, due to hit the streets May 15th, 2026, via Napalm Records. A new music video for the song “Oceans Of Blood” has just been released to hype the effort.
Pro-Pain’s musical style has evolved over the years, from a crossover style to one more groove oriented, reliant on keyboards, often utilizing clean vocals. Ironically, the new material sounds like a throwback to the band’s Crumbsuckers roots and I must admit, I like it. There’s simplicity in this attack and the hardcore power is at the forefront.
A performance offering, with some key lyrics superimposed, the message is clear. Pro-Pain is back with a vengeance.
Over the years, Pro-Pain has consistently churned out quality hardcore infused metal. This new track shows a great deal of maturity for the group, a culmination of style and substance that the band has undoubtedly been building towards. Gary Meskil’s voice is as strong and commanding as ever, snarling like a pissed off Rottweiler on crack!
“Oceans Of Blood” is an instant neck-snapper. If this is any indication of the material on Stone Cold Anger, we are in for a solid punch in the mouth! Check out this new music video and bring out the pain building inside of you! \m/
PRO-PAIN is:
- Gary Meskil – Bass, Vocals
- Eric Klinger – Guitars
- Greg Discenza – Guitars
- Jonas Sanders – Drums
