59 Times The Pain

With less than a year to go to what some bands call the final countdown, other doomsday prophets name Gomorrah seasons end. Sweden's 59 TIMES THE PAIN on the other hand still has a positive approach to life and their own future. Something spelled out bold on their latest effort "End of the Millennium." A two fingers in the air masterpiece that captures the band's on-going killer spirit, an appetite for life construction, and a blatant punk rock attitude.

In 1999 the band has grown into a motivated, self-assured band that close to the end of the millennium definitely has found their own way in the musical and lyrical department, and a prominent position in the worldwide hardcore scene. Today the band has dug much deeper into the roots of their main love, hardcore, and is finding their main strength, ferocity and roots within punk, oi! and over the top rock 'n' roll scene as opposed to a limitation of the evident strong New York hardcore influences on previous records.

About a quarter of a century down the life-avenue, the writing has also found a deeper significance though the outcome is still harsh, angry, and provoking. Still hitting out straight and mean against ignorance, narrow-mindedness, racism, etc. as the obvious targets. Pathfinders as "Turn at 25th," "Weakend Revolution, "Working Man Hero," and "Got It All In Sight" are all-both lyrically and musically-some of the strongest and most thoughtful songs 59 TIMES THE PAIN has ever written. Street smart might sound corny, but that's what it is all about as the band takes their sharp sound and fury to the streets where they belong.

The angry breakneck and heavy in-your-face hardcore-influence is there, even on the new record, but with a more mature "taking it to the street" edge to stir things up. An interesting promising underlying punk and oi! influence much displayed by the band during the last years through excelled THE CLASH and COCKNEY REJECTS covers to set record, further to the bands singer/guitarslinger and headhoncho's Magnus set up THE PRODUCTS (a hard-hitting oi! meets hardcore project who's debut EP "?Just Having a Laugh" on SIDEKICKS RECORDS has received tons of raving reviews) and that continues with their recent strong RAMONES affection (gabba-gabba-hey, the title reference speaks for itself, doesn't it?).

No disrespect to any of the HC acts who's life begins and end with their Youth Crew '88 influences, but 59 TIMES THE PAIN of today is without doubt an established one of a kind European hardcore act that has graduated hardcore school in big style, following hot on the heels of giants as SICK OF IT ALL and AGNOSTIC FRONT. The band as with "End of the Millennium" written a new chapter in their historybook and are standing firm, ready to venture into first class worldwide punk/rock college. A step towards what is yet to come in full bloom. Welcome to punk rock college and 59 TIMES THE PAIN's new world of hardcore?