Alcatraz Line up: 2018, 2022, 2024

Few bands are as adept at building a bridge between hardcore, punk and metal as Pro-Pain. Pro-Pain formed in New York back in 1991. They unleashed their hugely successful debut ‘Foul Taste of Freedom’ the following year, making them one of just a handful of genre peers to make this kind of impact from the get-go. The first three studio albums have meanwhile attained classic status and with fifteen full-length efforts to date they are one of the more prolific acts in heavy music. Most of their songs are built on a hardcore foundation although ‘Act of God’ (1999) and ‘Round 6’ (2000) are less hardcore-oriented, adopting more of a gut-wrenching thrash/groove attack instead. Pro-Pain are also known for their hard-hitting lyrics. Over the years there have been countless personnel changes, with Gary Meskil as the one constant; Belgian drummer Jonas Sanders joined the band in 2012. Hardcore bands in general don’t care too much for governments as they blame them for many of the ills that plague modern-day society. More than thirty years after their inception Pro-Pain are as pissed off as ever. Timeless crossover with a capital C.