Perfection in Pain

Perfection in Pain by Corporation 187 is an album that falls short of being anything special. While its easy to get caught up in the hooks and find yourself head banging ever so slightly, you’ll also find yourself starting to sing songs from The Haunted, At the Gates, Soilwork, Shadows Fall or In Flames. This CD is just another in a recent batch that do nothing to further metal or carve out a distinct sound for the band and just relies on tried and true songwriting techniques of the aforementioned bands.

None of the songs really stand out from the pack. Possibly the only exception is the opening track “Religious Connection”. The song starts fast and sets the pace for the CD but also shows you right away how much of this bands sound is derivative. To be honest this song may be the only standout track because it is simply the first one you hear instead of being the result of actual musical genius. I’m sure if switched with “Ghosts of Confusion” or “2nd Pain” then those would have been the songs being discussed. The songs are aggressive and fast enough, the work behind the songs are what’s lacking.

The vocals are your standard Haunted style thrash-scream. The drums rely too much on the double bass and don’t vary much from track to track and the guitar and bass ring distinctly of that good old “been there heard that” sound. The lyrics are just as cliché as the rest of the album. “It comes in like the tide/Now you’re biding your time/I’m the dark can you see?/We are one you and me” from Liquid Truth is a good example of the quality of their lyrics. Or should I say low quality. They also come dangerously close to being Emo/Gothish with “I have a dream where I must hang myself/Just throw myself into eternity/You wont catch my fall, you never will/You wont catch my fall, you never will” from My Life to Kill. What…do they want their fans to play violins and share feelings with them or do they want to thrash? A lot of metal lyrics are cliché and over the top but these seem downright whiney.

My overall impression of this band is that they are trying to ride on the coattails of bands like The Haunted to make up for their limited creative vision. If they tried to grow and progress I could actually see this band becoming one of the forerunners as opposed to a simple follower. Unfortunately I do not see that happening. Even if you are a fan of this style of music I’d leave it on the shelves. A truly forgettable album.