METALLIAN - Pro-pain

Foul Taste Of Freedom – 1992 - Energy
The Truth Hurts – 1994 – Energy
Contents Under Pressure – 1996 - Concrete
Pro-Pain – 1998 - Mayhem
Act Of God – 1999 – High Gain
Round 6 – 2000 - Spitfire
Road Rage – 2001 – Spitfire
Shreds Of Dignity – 2002 - Spitfire
Fistful Of Hate – 2004 – Continental
Prophets Of Doom – 2005 – Continental
Age Of Tyranny – The Tenth Crusade – 2007 - Continental
No End In Sight – 2008 - Continental
Absolute Power – 2010 – Continental
Straight To The Dome – 2012 – Goomba/Sunny Bastards
The Final Revolution – 2013 - Steamhammer
Voice Of Rebellion – 2015 - Steamhammer
Stone Cold Anger - 2026 - Napalm

Members

Vocals

GARY MESKIL

Guitar

M.O.D., Crumbsuckers>>Tom Klimchuck>>M.O.D., Crumbsuckers – Bizarro, Possessed>>Mike Hollman – Bizarro>Nick St. Denis>>Systematic, Skinlab – M.O.D., Crumbsuckers>>Tom Klimchuck – Mutilation, Hollow, M.O.D.>>Rob Moschetti>>M.O.D., Full Scale Riot, Generation Kill – The Spudmonsters, Drop Dead>>Eric Klinger>>Icarus Witch, Bloodclot! – Darkhaus>>Marshall Stephens>>Darkhaus – Indorphine, Crumbsuckers>>Adam Philips>>Crumbsuckers, Zuul Fx - The Spudmonsters, Drop Dead, Icarus Witch, Bloodclot!>>ERIC KLINGER - Ethernity, Komah>>GREG DISCNEZA>>Komah

Bass

Crumbsuckers, Heavy Rain, Darkhaus>>GARY MESKIL>>Crumbsuckers, Darkhaus

Drum

Crumbsuckers, Heavy Rain, Life Of Agony>>Dan Richardson>>Life Of Agony, Medication – Gothic Slam, Laaz Rockit, M.O.D.>>Dave Chavarri>>Merauder, Soulfly, Ill Nino, Terror Universal – Virgin Destroyers, Psycopath, The Spudmonsters>>Eric Matthews>>The Spudmonsters, Red Giant, Order 66 – Raped Ape, Paingod, Gonemad, Icarus Witch>>JC Dwyer>>Icarus Witch, The Ferocious Stones, JC Dwyer And The Blackbirds – Successor, Cellador, Narcotic Self, Stephen Pearcy>>Rick Halverson>>Narcotic Self, Diabolic Possession – Age Of Torment, Resistance, Zardens, Eyes Of The Insane, Remah, Silent Utopia, Solo, Horrible, Atonia, Remah>>JONAS SANDERS>>Age Of Torment, Resistance, Zardens, Eyes Of The Insane, Remah, Silent Utopia, Solo, Horrible, Atonia, Remah

History & Biography

This New York City-based crossover band was founded and staffed by members with a pedigree in Crumbsuckers, Life Of Agony, M.O.D. and The Spudmonsters in 1991. The founders were Dan Richardson and Gary Meskil. Several members had a band called Heavy Rain in 1990, which went nowhere leading to Pro-Pain whose debut album arrived in 1992. The debut featured Gary Meskil, Tom Klimchuk and drummer Dan Richardson. Mark Mays of M.O.D. was a guest guitarist. The band opened for Testament in the USA. The second album from 1994 featured guitarists Nick St. Denis and Mike Hollman. This record was considered a disappointment at the time. Klimchuck was back for Contents Under Pressure. The band played at Dynamo in 1996. Pro-Pain, Life Of Agony and Gurd hit the road. Pro-Pain, Voivod and Crisis toured North America. A compilation, called Best of Pro-Pain, was issued by High Gain Records in 1998. The group toured Europe with openers Iron Monkey. Raw Video was a compilation and live footage DVD from 2001. Run For Cover was the obligatory covers’ album and issued in 2003. Fistful Of Hate introduced JC Dwyer on drums. Best Of Pro-Pain II was out in 2005. The group replaced Death Angel on Kreator’s North American tour of 2005. The band dropped off the tour a couple of months later. Pro-Pain was on stage at Summer Breeze Open Air in 2008. A US tour of 2009 also featured Sworn Enemy and Mantic Ritual. Absolute Power was issued in the USA through Regain. The band was touring Germany. AFM Records issued a CD and DVD called 20 Years Of Hardcore in 2011. The live portion was taped in the Czech Republic. There was also new material. Tom Klimchuck left again in 2011. He cited health reasons. The band announced it would play its Foul Taste Of Freedom in its entirety on tour with Tenside in 2011. Pro-Pain signed with Goomba Music for USA in 2012. The band signed with SPV to start 2013. His rock band Darkhaus also signed with SPV a couple of months later.

The band added guitarists Matt Sheridan in 2016 and Greg Discenza (replacing Adam Philips) in 2019, but no releases were forthcoming. Gary was assaulted, robbed and hospitalized in Belgium in 2017. He was hit in the head by an ice pick while being robbed. He set up a GoFundMe. The group toured Europe in 2018, played the reload Festival and circled the USA in 2020. The group was in Europe and playing Karpaty Hard Fest in the Czech Republic in 2025. Pro-Pain signed with Napalm Records in 2026 and announced a new album called Stone Cold Anger, its first in 11 years. Guitarist Eric Klinger was back. Pro-Pain was heading to the Obscene Extreme Festival in the summer of 2026.

Pro-Pain does not shy away from substantial topics and politics on its records.

Reviews

PRO-PAIN - FISTFUL OF HATE - RAW HEAD/CANDLELIGHT
Pro-pain's Fistful Of Hate will surprise fans and casual listeners alike. The band has made a name for itself with crude hardcore and unsophisticated crossover and the arrival of an album featuring lead guitars (albeit in very moderate doses), melodies and some vocal harmonies is a recent evolution for the New York-area band. The band even sounds downright technical during one instrumental interlude! The lyrics will be controversial in America. Long recognized elsewhere as the source of most evil in the world today, it is only recently that a few Americans have awakened to the reality. The text to songs like Fistful Of Hate, Freedom Rings and American Dreams are not standard CNN fare by any means. Good for Pro-pain to be a step ahead of the rest of the sheep. - Ali "The Metallian"

PRO-PAIN - PROPHETS OF DOOM - CANDLELIGHT
A 12th release in 13 years surely puts Pro-Pain near the top of the list of active bands. Most bands struggle to write fresh material every few years and one does immediately get the feeling that a lot of Prophets Of Doom is very unoriginal, nevertheless one must also keep reminding oneself that that is always preferable to wimping out or changing styles just to suit a trend. The lyrical content is fascinating and the highlight of Prophets Of Doom, with titles like Neocon, UnAmerican, Operation Blood For Oil all seemingly very anti-Bush, but not 'anti-American,' giving an edge to this release. On the musical front the occasional higher tempos in Getting Over and Days Of Shame do not hide the fact that this is not much more than a mid-paced pseudo hardcore album. Death Toll Rises features a short guitar solo and a catchy rhythm which helps lift the songs out of repetitiveness. Overall Pro-Pain have come up with an album that some fans may appreciate but one that doesn’t break any ground for better or worse. - Anna Tergel

PRO-PAIN - AGE OF TYRANNY - THE TENTH CRUSADE - CANDLELIGHT
Pro-Pain has turned into a killer band. It should not be a surprise given the band’s consistent improvement in recent years, but Pro-Pain is frankly one of the most under-rated metal and hardcore bands on the scene right now.
Where to begin? While maintaining a core hardcore (ha!) sound base the New Yorkers have added just enough melody, neat little ideas and well executed ditty touches to make the Age of Tyranny stand out without, and this is important, ever coming across as fluffy, wimpy or having sold out. For those who like their bass crushingly loud prepare to ask aloud, 'D.D. who?' This is heavy as all hell; yet full of subtle surprises which adamantly work.
In fact, Pro-Pain is now so good that a touch of operatic vocals, musical theatrics or anthemic hate vocals all come together and fit like a glove atop of the band’s heavy as lead attack on the right-wing. Speaking of which, the band still unloads a can of whoop ass on the enemy after all these years. If anyone had a clue what the term “artistic development” means then they would know this is it right here. The lyrics on this album are not to be trifled with. To quote one line or a section or passage would be to do it all injustice. The album is as courageous as it is insightful and a tribute to the band’s guts in this age of cowardice, betrayal and the right-wing media spin machine.
Whether to keep the true spirit of hardcore alive, or to revel in the band’s metallic mayhem or for the sake of speaking truth to power Age Of Tyranny - The Tenth Crusade is it. Brain and brawn; honest and heavy, Pro-Pain has what it takes. - Ali “The Metallian”

Interviews

Pro-Pain