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Gary Meskil has been doing vocals and playing bass in Pro-Pain for a couple of decades now and the band continues to be a driving force in metal/hardcore. Their latest album, The Final Revolution, has just come out through SPV/Steamhammer and it's pretty much exactly what you'd want from the band: loud, fast and incredibly pissed off sounding but still musically tight and heavy. Gary took the time out of his schedule to talk to Rock! Shock! Pop! about the band, the new album and what keeps them going.
Rock! Shock! Pop! - The new album, The Final Revolution, kind of feels to me like a return to Pro-Pain's roots. Was There a conscious decision to get back to basics with this record?
Gary Meskil - We wanted The Final Revolution to differ from its predecessor, so we made some writing adjustments along the way. I solely wrote many of our older works, so we thought that it would perhaps be a good idea for me to take the wheel this time. So far the results have proven to be quite positive!
R!S!P! - Pro-Pain has never been a band to pull punches. Your music is angry. What are the issues that pissed you off enough this time around to inspire the album? Some of this new material is pretty political.
GM - I don't have to look very far for that kind of inspiration. I try to stay in tune with world events, and like most people, I can't help but be a bit angry and saddened by what I see around me. We all should carry a bit of social responsibility with us, to do our part to try and make the world a better place for future generations. I'm just trying to play my part by being a bit of a town crier.
R!S!P! - Southbound, it's been said, is about your travels in the southern states. It's obviously a fairly personal song - what moved you about your travel through the southern states to inspire this track?
GM - It's a song about moving forward without hesitation and not being stuck in the past. I included my personal journey South as the lyrical example in the song. Although it seems like yesterday, I left NY some time ago in search of brighter pastures. My heart will always be in NY, however.
R!S!P! - You guys shot a video for the opening track, Deathwish, which seems to be drawing some comparisons to active combat/war versus taking out your aggressions in the pit. It's almost like the song is saying that moshing and what not is self-destructive. Is that what you guys were going for here or am I completely misinterpreting the video and the song?
GM - Video concept can be challenging when working with a smaller budget, so I didn't want to go over the top with any particular theme or message. Having said that, our intended concept was to make a visual analogy of brotherhood and camaraderie with regard to the military and hardcore lifestyles.
R!S!P! - The new album was recorded in Switzerland - why the decision to go to Europe to record?
GM - Our longtime friend V.O. Pulver has a studio (Little Creek) in Gelterkinden Switzerland where we've recorded our last three albums. It's a great place to record, and so we have a nice comfort zone there. Switzerland can also be an expensive place to record an album, so an ample amount of pre-production is necessary.
R!S!P! - Pro-Pain has had a lot of members over the years. What sets the new/current lineup apart from past lineups?
GM - Each lineup brings something unique to the table. Our current lineup is quite stable, and everyone is in it to win it. Adam, Marshall, and Jonas bring a lot of prowess and energy to the newer recordings and to the stage. I try to stay on top of my game as well.
R!S!P! - You wrote everything on the new album. All the music, all the lyrics, whereas previously you've collaborated with your band mates. What spurred this? Why the decision to 'go solo' in the pre-recording phase?
GM - It's not that remarkable for me to do at least the lion share of duties in the band (including the writing). I've written 100% of our lyrics and more than 90% of our music throughout the years. Like the earlier albums, we decided that in order for us to take a couple of steps forward, we should perhaps take a step back and reclaim some of the traits which put us on the map. The Final Revolution is the byproduct of that mentality.
R!S!P! - Pro-Pain has occasionally worked some cover songs onto their albums. You guys even did a cover album. The limited edition of the new release has a UK Subs cover on it. Is this your way of paying tribute to your influences or just a way to have some fun? A bit of both?
GM - Yes. For us, it's important to acknowledge certain peers who we feel have influenced us in a positive way. In the early 80's, I formed a band called Crumbsuckers. The first song we ever played was a UK Subs song called Warhead. So, artists like that have paved the way for bands like Pro-Pain.
R!S!P! - When you guys released The Truth Hurts years back you ran into some issues with that because you used real crime scene photos in the artwork. Why the choice to use images like this on the album at the time? What sort of fall out was there from this? I knew some retailers refused to carry the album.
GM - The Truth Hurts was a bit of a concept album about harsh realities. We plucked some choice photos from the NY Police Archives to serve as the template for our booklet. After the art was submitted, the initial backlash began, but we felt that watering down the artwork would do a disservice to the album. Unfortunately the record label and subsequently the stores felt differently than us, and so a watered down version became the more commercially available version. I like the original version much better.
R!S!P! - On that same album you collaborated with Ice-T on the track Put The Lights Out. How did that come about?
GM - Pro-Pain toured together with Body Count in 1993, so a good friendship ensued. Ice and I discussed the framework for a collaboration while at a gig in Salt Lake City. After the tour, we began finalizing those plans.
R!S!P! - You're going on a quarter century as a band soon. What keeps you going? What keeps Pro-Pain going?
GM - We enjoy what we do, and we feel that we are still writing good and relevant music together. We don't make too many long term plans anymore, but we are very much enjoying the moment.
R!S!P! - So a lot of old punk and hardcore bands have reunited in the last few years. Any chance for a Crumbsuckers reunion anytime soon?
GM - Difficult to say. We reunited for a gig in 2006, and it was very successful. If the other band members aspire to do it again, I would not oppose.
R!S!P! - You guys played a few US dates last month, the first time in a few years. Is there a full tour to follow? What can fans expect when you bring the new material on the road? Any details to share here?
GM - We are currently discussing the possibilities. Hopefully we can at least put a string of US dates together for the first quarter of 2014. We will keep everyone posted on that via our website and social media circles.
Until then, thanks for the interview! We hope you enjoy The Final Revolution as much as we do! See you in the pit!
Thanks to Gary for doing this and anyone interested in the band should definitely keep an eye on their website here for tour dates, album info and all that other good stuff!
