16.06.2023 Pro-Pain

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

From the South Stage, I headed straight over to the neighbouring North Stage, where the guys from Pro‑Pain were getting ready. The U.S. American band was already making their seventh appearance at Graspop in Dessel and can look back on an impressive career spanning more than 30 years, even if bassist and vocalist Gary Meskil has been the only constant throughout that time. As soon as the intro from their 2002 album “Shreds Of Dignity” began to play, it was clear what was about to happen.
The intro transitioned directly into “Unrestrained” from the 2010 album “Absolute Power”, marking the starting shot for an energetic set. Even though temperatures were already high again, the crowd remained unfazed. Pits opened up, crowdsurfers claimed the airspace and didn’t give it back until the end of the set. With three decades of material to draw from, the available time was naturally a bit tight. Still, the band delivered a broad cross‑section of their entire body of work, starting with more recent tracks like “Deathwish” from the 2013 album “The Final Revolution”. From there, they worked their way back through the 1999 album “Act Of God” with songs like “In For The Kill”, gradually moving further into the past until they reached the beginning of the band’s history with the closing track “Make War (Not Love)” from the 1994 album “The Truth Hurts”.
The band delivered a powerful mix of hardcore and grooving rhythms, at times even leaning toward metalcore. Not only did Meskil’s bass roar with force as he bellowed the songs aggressively into the crowd, but his bandmates Greg Discenza and Eric Klinger on guitars, and Jonas Sanders on drums in the back were no less lively. With each song, the atmosphere in front of the stage intensified. It was yet another truly convincing performance that left a lasting impression on me. Pro‑Pain are an absolute force, and anyone who gets the chance to see them live should not hesitate.