By Vinnie Apicella

"It was a game, now it's a war, we're not ashamed to want some more..." Truer sentiments were never more forcefully exacted as leadoff track "Stand Tall" blasts through the speakers from Propain's punishing sixth effort, "Act of God." Proving to be no less severe than its predecessors, the band, fresh from their recent signing with Nuclear Blast America, brutalizes through twelve tracks sure to leave their mark on even the most trained listeners of the N.Y.H.C. scene. As in the past, this new one typically offers just a little more than a quick nod toward '80s style metal and thrash that sets Propain apart from the usual street-wise wankers barking their asses off about some hardship or another. This is easily the most well-written and authoritative Propain disc yet. "Act of God" is another must-have for fans driven by honesty, integrity and brutality that first grew up in the roots of hardcore music but it'll also be frightfully listenable to others who still carry a propensity for those crucial metal riffs and speed-driven guitar solos. When many groups tend to find it hard to live up to the impact of their previous successes---assuming they made an impact in the first place---Propain yet again stands tall and proves readily up to the task.

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