We live in a day and age where simplicity has to be underlined repeatedly to emphasize its due importance and beauty in art. There is just way too much twisted and inner meaning or reading between the lines happening in Heavy Metal, and it's also becoming famous due to the complex song structures that bands are churning out. But there will always be that old school saviors like PROJECT PAIN who will show you the song naked and easy on the ears, and in Thrash - all you need to do is just blast out with an album title like "Thrashed To Kill".

"Thrashed To Kill" is an In-Your-Face Thrash album, not just musically, but lyrically too, dealing with violent acts, bloodshed, and related gore stuff, clearly replicated in the 80's Horror movie poster-styled album cover art that you see here. The album is full of punkish heavy fast paced Thrash, which sounds really cool on the first listen, right from the first song, "Betrayal". Each song here pounces on you right from the start and is so intimidating and is catchy at the same time due to the constant fast paced riffs. With song names like "Necrophiliac" and "Piss On Your Grave", the album is full of songs with gore and horror lyrics, though confining themselves within the Thrash genre rather than going insane and maniac like, say CANNIBAL CORPSE lyrics. "Sent Off To Die" is a carefully woven song, as the intro starts with a clip with some eerie 80's horror movie dialogue, before moving on to blast some insane riffs. I must mention that the drums on this record sound just loud enough and the fast paced style of Frank Ruisch works really great with the rest of the band. The vocals of Bauke Goudbeek remind me a bit of Tom Angelripper from SODOM. As impressive the music itself is, the album tests your patience in the second half, as there seems to be a lack of variety and flavor in here, even though the songs individually are still worthy of your time. Though "Thrashed To Kill" and "At Dawn We Ride" try to bring something interesting to the table, the album ends with a rather pale song in "Taken By Force", which is quite unidirectional in nature.

Clocking just over 42 min, Netherland's PROJECT PAIN's 2^nd full-length album, does pack a lot and gives you quite a unique experience, but the experience starts getting to test your patience towards the latter half due to the lack of variety, but still all in all, it's a Thrash album that all seasoned fans of the genre should check out.<