'Black Heart Blues'
The press release accompanying this sophomore album from Sheffield-based band 3 Stages of Pain labels them as "the missing link between hardcore and blues rock", which prompted much head scratching. Hardcore is probably one of the least bluesy genres out there; any direct link between the two styles is not so much missing as non-existent. The song titles also caused a sceptical eyebrow to be raised and as such it was with a dubious frame of mind that I initially approached this LP.
Opening track 'Dirty White Shoes' is two minutes of fairly straight modern hardcore, but as the album unfolds it becomes clear that it is a misleading prelude. Although there's very little actual blues on offer, 'Am An Yeller' (wha?) introduces a dirty southern rock/metal groove which goes on to make repeat appearances throughout the LP. A further recurring motif develops in 'Jesus Gonna Make My Dying Bed', wherein the furious and discordant first half of the song subsides into gentle strumming and pained, half-whispered vocals. Like Opeth, it seems 3 Stages of Pain have the knack of successfully juxtaposing heavy and dark metal passages with haunting clean phrases that are at turns both plaintive and sinister. Indeed, in many ways the band come across as a less polarised Opeth; there's little death metal here and the vocals are rarely harsher than a cigarette-hoarse shout, but there are similar waves of distorted guitars crashing against delicate, proggy noodling. And as with Opeth's albums, guitar solos are used sparingly but effectively.
There's a lot more to 'Black Heart Blues' than I expected. 'Thee Universe' even has a cool fuzzy '70s doom vibe, and final track 'Seconds Later (They Suddenly Die)' would sit comfortably on any mid-period Anathema CD, with its acoustic guitars and female vocals giving way to chiming electric chords that move at a snail's pace. One distinct advantage 3 Stages of Pain have over many modern metal acts is that it doesn't all instantly turn to shit whenever the vocalist attempts a spot of clean singing. Indeed, our man actually has a decently acceptable croon, although his strongly affected pseudo-American accent does begin to grate a bit.
Were my doubts confirmed? Well, yes and no. This isn't "hardcore blues".
It is however, a dark, intriguing and enjoyable mix of hardcore, southern
rock, doom, prog, metal and even a touch of folk. There's enough depth
here to reward repeated listens, and with only eight songs in just less
than 45 minutes the album isn't an endurance test to sit through, unlike
most modern LPs. Recommended for those who crave to be stimulated by
something a little bit outside of the norm.