Review || Born From Pain - "True Love"

Born From Pain is back with a brand new album. Released on February 15th via BDHW Recs., it comes a mere five years after "Dance With The Devil" and is one of the most outstanding works of the band to date, marking an indisputable rebirth for the Dutch outfit.

Its unapologetic character is evident from the very first second, with opener "Glück Auf" being the perfect pummeling intro to the album, foreshadowing what's about to follow. A thing I certainly like about "True Love" is that the songs are not particularly long but are still very well-written and on point, making them to seem to flow seamlessly. Furthermore, this continuity of the anger-driven but very groovy tracks not only works to their advantage, but it's also one of their best assets. The album never loses momentum or falls flat, but instead keeps an in-your-face attitude which will interpret amazingly well in a live setting. Anthemic songs like the single "Antitown", the title track or "Unstoppable" fly the flag of confrontation, serving as a bold "fuck you" to naysayers. Frankly, if you need a better understanding of what "True Love" is about as a whole, you can just read the lyrics to "New Beginnings" -which by the way also features a guest appearance from Chris Robson from TRC. Robson, however, is not the only guest the band brought on board; a certain Freddy Madball cheekily lends his trademark raspy tone on "Bombs Away". 
Although the 12 tracks on the album appear quite uniformal, they also display a brilliant contrast. On one hand you have massive, relentless compositions such as "Rebirth" (and let's be honest, the breakdown there can easily make a heart stop), and on the other you have unexpected more melodic outbursts that perfectly accentuate and blend into the structure of the album -"City Nights" being a prime example to that. Lastly, and while we're on that note, the record feels oldschool yet modern. It's a breeze of fresh air while casually flirting with tradition and the robust production brings out the best elements of their influences and, essentially, the very core of the band.

In all its seriousness, "True Love" is nothing more than five guys doing what they love -and they are damn good at it. So, if you were looking for something to take the edge off when your boss irritates you, a gym playlist or the soundtrack to a bloody revolution, you fucking got it. 
(9/10)

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