A long time coming

Paint it Black - "Famine"
Label: Revelation Records

Despite the fact that they were silent for a decade now, PAINT IT BLACK are still among the most important Hardcore-bands of the century. At least for me. I always loved their style and their attitude, and their discography is unfuckable with anyway, with 3 LPs and 3 EPs of pure quality. Choose your favourite, if you can. 

I think a lot of people feel the same about the band out of Philly, though most of them are probably oldtimers or near-oldtimers like myself. What made PAINT IT BLACK stand out in the 2000s was the fact that they were holding the flag of 80s and 90s Hardcore/Punk high, when the whole scene was busy blending a dozen different genres and/or aiming at the mainstream. PAINT IT BLACK gave a shit about it all and rather married the abrasive 80s-Hardcore of a band like BLACK FLAG with the melodic HC/Punk of Dan Yemin's former band LIFETIME. 

Now, they're back with their new album "Famine" at the tail end of 2023, after already hinting at it in 2020. This has been a long time coming and I was looking forward to it like not many records this year. Matching such expectations is always hard, especially after being away for so long. Keeping that in mind, "Famine" turned out amazingly good. The best thing to say about it probably is, "they delivered". PAINT IT BLACK don't reinvented themselves, but I don't think anyone asked about it. They are singular in their approach, especially with the rich background story they have.

The four-piece kept it short and simple on "Famine", and I'm more than split about it. The downside to it plainly is the fact that it's just 16 minutes you waited for a fuckin' decade. The upside is, that they don't run the danger of getting boring. This concept also worked wonders on their EPs, especially on their last output before, "Invisible". This EP was a masterpiece and the pinnacle of their discography. It was impossible to top, as it was 10 minutes of perfection. 

And surely, "Famine" doesn't come close, but it doesn't fall far behind either. The first half is some of my favourite PIB-stuff thus far, with the title track, "Dominion" and "Safe" being classic 2-minute-HC-bangers that show the band at their very best. They haven't lost a step and sound fantastic! The 2:47 minutes long "Exploitation Period" is not only among their longest tracks, it's also pretty experimental in their sphere. The pace is slow, Yemin's yell is only backed by some bass and it's heavy on moody samples. The experiment pays off, as it's a rousing track and the contrast you needed after the frantic beginning. "Serf City, U.S.A." then is the typical, short PIB-song that clocks in at 34 seconds. They love to throw in some of these on their releases and it always works. "The Unreasonable Silence" is different too, marching in midtempo, revolving around a groovy riff and the chorus is sung with some repetition and unusal backups by Andy Nelson (I suppose). Solid track, though. "Namesake" picks up their trademark pace and and then we're already at the closer "City of the Dead". The last two tracks are neat, no doubt, but they can't add to the flawless first half of the record and it somehow feels like two or three tracks are missing at the end.

Lyrically PAINT IT BLACK are as sharp as ever, commenting on politics, war and the current, miserable state of the world. Yemin was always awesome at this and sadly it's a fit for 2023. It's a great gift to have these legends back in fucked up times like these! So, don't get me wrong. "Famine" definitely is up to par with all their other releases, but it also had the potential of being the ultimate PIB-record if it weren't for the abruptly, kinda lukewarm ending of the record. With that being said, I hope the new generation now gets a glimpse at their capability. Hats off for a comeback record like this! But now, don't let me wait another 10 years!!

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