[8/10]

Sydney (New South Wales) heavy rockers Paindivision are back with their second full-length effort One Path after spending a year on the road (both nationally and internationally) in support of their highly acclaimed debut self-titled effort.

Having parted with keyboardist Ray Martens prior to hitting the studio, the four piece act (who comprise of vocalist/guitarist Jordan Howe, guitarist Stuart ‘Stu’ Marshall, new bassist Dan Quinlan and drummer Joe Rahme) have decided to go for a more guitar orientated approach and heavier sound on One Path, and it’s a natural sound that certainly fits the band.

The opening “The Gates Of Ashen Wake” (half Japanese spoken word/half instrumental) is a suitably scene setting effort that provides the album with a nice lead up to the main event, with the follow on track “Flames Of The Reaper” delivering on every promise the build up hinted at. The fast paced guitars, meaty riffs, thumping groove and Howe’s ravaged rock ‘n’ roll vocals embodies everything that is loud heavy thrashing rock, and everything that Paindivision stand for.

“Face It” is certainly no letdown with its fast pacing and catchy riffs, while “Beyond The Pain” instantly stands out as an album favourite with its shredding solo breaks and distinctive thrash like choruses.

Shades of The Almighty can be heard in the mid-paced rocker “Nightmare” and the slower and sleazier grooved “Wasting Life,” while the title track “One Path” and “Of Flame And Fury” show a slight broadening of sound for the band, with Howe in particular experimenting more in clean vocal lines.

As per usual, the band has included a cover on One Path. This time around, the band has decided to cover Accept’s 1984 classic “Balls To The Wall.” Needless to say, the band nails the song perfectly, with Howe putting in a pretty convincing vocal performance. Finishing up the album is the instrumental “The Victory March,” where Marshall takes on the lead role with some masterfully executed melodic lead work.

As great as their self-titled release was, Paindivision have definitely taken things to a whole new level on One Path, without losing any of their original identity.If you’re after some old-school heavy rock, don’t overlook Paindivision and their latest effort, One Path.

"By Goreripper"
[8.2/10]

"....With so many bands around all trying to either be certain things, break new ground or present the latest version of what's trendy, its refreshing to see there are still acts around just playing no frills heavy metal. Sydney's Paindivision is one of those bands, a band whose momentum should only gain impetus with their second album in just over a year showing plenty of development and maturity.

Paindivision's brand of straight-up heavy metal puts them somewhere in the ball park inhabited by groups like Motörhead and Accept. The production is stripped down, but clean and heavy with loud guitars churning out a good solid collection of meaty and catchy hooks. And while this is very much a guitar album, it benefits from a killer drum mix that shows off Joe Rahme's chops in this department. Several of the tracks have punchy drum intros paving the way for Stu Marshall's crunching guitar. Jordan Howe's vocals are raw and unadorned, harsh and angry with a style reminiscent of Dreadnaught, a band that these guys can sometimes sound rather like, particularly in their more aggressive moments. This technique doesn't always seem to gel with the more melodic aspects of Paindivision and Howe isn't quite as powerful as Greg Trull; conversely, however, his melodic voice in "Of Flame and Fury" is really quite effective, possibly because it just sounds so different. I could see the harshness of Howe's voice actually being a bit of a turn-off to some, which would be a shame because One Path simply abounds in good old fashioned headbanging metal.

"Flames of the Reaper" is a ball-tearer straight up, a furious ripping metal track with Howe in full cry and Marshall peeling off lightning fast guitar licks. "Face It" is also fast and heavy with a good hook and a nice "Fast" Eddie Clark-style solo in the intro. Indeed this type of description sums up a good proportion of the tracks on One Path as the band draws from its love of classic heavy metal to serve up chunks of driving, catchy riffage like that in "Nightmare" or the stumbling, dirty blues-inspired "Wasting Life". Marshall's leads are sweet and his melody lines in the cover of "Balls to the Wall" actually sound rather like Gary Moore's Wild Frontier era with a hint of him in the closing instrumental "The Victory March" also. Paindivision has put together another good album here, paying respects to their influences but doing very much their own thing and while the vocals might not be to everyone's taste it is otherwise hard to fault.

One Path is one hard hitting heavy metal album."

A copy of Paindivision’s latest and second release One Path has nestled itself in my hot little hands. To be honest, I chose this review by accident; I though I was reviewing Painmuseum, so I was kind of struck when it arrived. Don’t get me wrong, I love my heavy metal, and perhaps we can put it down to poor marketing that this band has never caught my eye.

The metal music scene is a multi billion dollar industry, and in places like Japan, Germany and other parts of Europe they have a peculiar way about themselves when it comes to music. I liked it so much that I have adopted their custom in my introduction to new bands. We actually listen to the music last. Prior to that, we study the album and artwork, and then research the band and its influences. Hearing the music last kind of pieces it all together, and it either fits into their unit and what they stand for or it just doesn’t. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason, so this CD rocking up was a knock on my minds door. On this occasion, I decided not to follow my aforementioned ritual, and I just dived right in and listed to the music.

These brass knuckle lads originate from Sydney, and to their credit they all have a striking repitour of musicianship under their belt, with bands such as Candy Harlots and Dungeon to name but a few. One Path was certainly designed to deliver the force of the punch. Opening with an instrumental track The Gates of Ashen Wake, this piece has the voice of the devil speaking in tongue or Latin perhaps; just encase it was a call for the devil to enter the homes of those listening I decided to turn my speakers down. Whatever the intent, it was effective and a helluva creepy voice over.

The album was produced by Dan Quinlan, who has worked with bands such as Deicide, Suffocation and Dismember, and to his credit has pieced this album together brutally. One Path was designed to be played loud; there is a lot going on, such as in the track Flames of the Reaper I can already see a manic film clip for this song, something like breath form the Prodigy, only injected with the element of atoms called metal metal metal!

For One Path, this album clearly speaks volumes that PAINDIVISION are an extremely hasty outfit, they have taken what was required from their earlier period, and leapt over the boundaries delivering to the public a creation of razor-sharp tantalum. This CD rocking up on my door was definitely a pleasing incident.

Good on you fellas, you have nailed it!

After four years of dedicated service to Sydney based power metal outfit Dungeon, guitarist Stuart ‘Stu’ Marshall decided to hand in his resignation and forge ahead with something new.

And it didn’t take long before Marshall found that new something, with the announcement of the formation of his new group 20Grams (Who at the time included Dungeon drummer Tim Yatras) in late 2005.

After a few line-up changes, and consolidating a stable line-up (Now consisting of vocalist/guitarist Jordan Howe (Ex-The Harlots, and currently a member of Beware Of The Dog), bassist Shayne ‘Tank’ Reid, keyboardist Ray Martens and drummer Joe Rahme), the band changed name to Paindivision.

After playing in and around the local scene, the band entered the studio, and in 2006, released their independent debut E.P. 4 Play. On the success of the E.P., the band picked up some high profile supports in Black Label Society and Sebastian Bach. Following on from their past success, the hard rock/metal outfit have finally returned with their debut full-length self titled effort.

The opening track “Welcome To The Show” is a clear sample of what’s in store for the remainder of the album, with the group’s energetic hard rock boasting plenty of heavy riffing and thundering drums wrapped in a decidedly raw sound, revealing an overall collective influence from acts such as The Almighty (Particularly within Howe’s vocals), AC/DC and Black Label Society.

“Evilize” (Which, like the opener, is lifted from the EP) is an obvious choice as a first single/promotional video clip with its catchy bass/riff work and equally huge choruses, whereas the faster paced “Unchain Me” (Which could have easily been lifted from The Almighty’s debut album), the driving “Everyman” and “Devil Preacher” (The third track and last track from the group’s debut EP) are straightforward hard rocking/metal anthems.

The acoustic based ballad “Anything We Want” offers up something a little different and unexpected, but surprisingly in a good way (Howe’s really gets to shows off his clean vocal style), while on “Indian Sun”, Howe shakes up the formula a little further with a mix of his clean/screamed efforts alongside Mashall’s masterful fretwork with fantastic results.

“Faces Of Death” is a solid track, but perhaps a little overshadowed following up the former track, while Marshall’s acoustic solo piece “Northam Grove” once again provides a short breather before finishing off the album with a faithful rendition of Motörhead’s classic “Ace Of Spades.”

Paindivision certainly aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but what they do offer is something that is sadly lacking in today’s modern metal scene - something that’s raw and uncompromising heavy rock that doesn’t bow down to trends.

"Pyromusic.net - Spiritech score 7.5 from 10"

Having gigged regularly over the last two years and touring with the likes of Black Label Society and Sebastian Bach, switching singers and changing their name from 20 Grams back to Paindivision, this Sydney quintet have finally laid their ballsy brand of heavy music on record.

Formed two years ago from the ashes of local bands Dungeon (lead guitarist Stu Marshall, who lends his distinctive guitar tone and classy lead breaks to each of these songs) and the Candy Harlots (vocalist Jordan Howe), Sydney act Paindivision have finally unleashed their self-titled, debut full-length. This album is a classic Hard Rock/Heavy Metal fans' wet dream, with influences covering the usual suspects (Motorhead, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Accept, Black Label Society) No more apparent are these influences than the band paying tribute to the real icons of Heavy Rock, covering 'Ace of Spades' in a very faithful manner. Sure, just about every cover band worth their guitars has covered the song, but it's an understandable choice given. There's also a few more serene moments tossed in, including classy, but not over-done ballad 'Anything You Want' and instrumental closer 'Northam Grove'.

Paindivision don't take any songwriting risks, but don't really need to in order for their debut to be success. Opener 'Welcome To The Show' is an appropriate choice given the band's ethos, and is an obvious selection for the opening song at gigs. This song, like a number of others here, (especially 'Faces Of Death') have that slightly rawer, almost live feel that translates strongly onto record. It's all about rocking out with your mates, a beer or two and a good band, even if the songs aren't anything revolutionary and there's a few cheesy moment. Cuts such as 'Evilize' and 'Everyman' have the mid-paced groove and swagger of the likes of AC/DC and the lyrical sense of danger to match. The riffing of 'Unchain Me' channels Motorhead and the gruff vocals and BLS-inspired riffs of 'Devil Preacher' all prove to be winners.

'Indian Sun' sounds like something from Ozzy's solo career and is perhaps the album's strongest overall track. With blistering leads, a ton of cracking riffs, a solid rhythm section and an obvious understanding of what makes heavy music of this ilk work, Paindivision deserve to be ranked amongst the best the country has to offer. Whilst PainDivision are around, Heavy Metal lives!