Los Angeles-based Foreign Pain have released their crushing debut album Death of Divinity on Good Fight Music. The album represents metalcore and hardcore at its very best – a sound that could only be described as “bludgeoning” while remaining sharp-edged and entirely pissed off. Atonal riffs coexist alongside a prevalent layer of industrial influenced soundscapes, fuzzed-out breakdowns, and anguished lyrics that dissect bleak themes of mental health and societal strife. Guest vocalists Andrew Neufeld (Comeback Kid), Marshall Lichtenwaldt (The Warriors), Dez Yusuf (Zulu, Crimewave 5150), and Nate Rebolledo (Xibalba) add a sense of hardcore community to the album, with features that oscillate between its metallic roots and melodic moments that might remind you of bands like Killing The Dream. New video “South of Life” adds a nightmarish but lush (think 70s’ era international horror directors like Dario Argento or Lucio Fulci) visual element to an already cinematic track. The tension and sense of dread are palpable throughout the song, punctuated by a driving hardcore-punk beat and grinding breakdowns throughout.
On “South of Life”, vocalist Andrew Doyle had this to say:
“This song was one of the earliest we wrote as a band, and I would argue probably the heaviest. There wasn’t really a doubt in my mind that it would end up as the last song on the record even though we liked to throw it on the front end of sets when we first wrote it. ‘South of Life’ was written about the chaos and trauma of physical, mental, and sexual abuse, and the cyclical nature of that abuse. Witnessing the events at the center of this song is what encouraged me to get myself into therapy to address some of my own demons, something I’m a big advocate for. People fear tearing open these old wounds to let them heal the proper way, and I think that fear can turn us into people we never thought we could be.”
Written over the last five years, Death of Divinity was engineered by Roger Camero (No Motiv) at Bright Lights / Bright Mountain Studios and mixed / mastered by Beau Burchell (Saosin). The album explores themes of anger, isolation, and frustration – ultimately commenting on the shared human experience and giving listeners a deeply personal batch of songs that are as vulnerable as they are pissed off. Inspired by the likes of Turmoil, Converge, Eighteen Visions, and Every Time I Die, the band captures the chaotic and angry essence of 2000s’ era metalcore and hardcore with a modern sensibility and style. You can stream and purchase the album here.
Foreign Pain is Andrew Doyle (vocals), Aaron Brooks (guitar/vocals), Darel McFadyen (guitar), Shawn Skadburg (bass), and Sina Xiansheng (drums).
