Release Date: October 15th 2025. Record Label: Glory Or Death / Gate Of Doom Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
The Craft Of Pain - Tracklisting
1.Rites of Enclosure 00:39
2.Masters of the Craft of Pain 05:18
3.Marked By Hate 05:38
4.Mirror Maze (Feat. Wino) 04:56
5.In the Drive's End 05:28
6.Thumbscrew 02:54
7.The Inquisitor, Pt.I 06:13
8.The Inquisitor, Pt.II 03:38
9.Canto XXI (Feat. Rodrigo Garcia) 03:12
10.Shadows of a Desire 05:41
Members
Thiago Cruz (Vocals)
Anderson Vaca (Bass)
Marcos Resende (Guitar)
Flávio Freitas (Drums)
Review
Doom/Stoner Metallers Pesta return with their third full length album The Craft Of Pain and they bring a classic sounding NWOBHM sensibility into their music. The mood is also heightened by a great style of Occult Rock and Proto-Doom grooves which adds an extra level of gloomy spiciness into their music. Pesta are quite content with having a classic HEAVY METAL creative energy throughout the whole album.
You can hear influences from bands such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Iron Maiden and The Obsessed on certain parts of the record though you can still hear more modern surroundings especially when some unexpected sludgy moments appear. The majority of the record is deeply rooted in Eighties Heavy Metal with flashes of other musical eras appearing whenever the mood calls for this. Pesta are quite flashy with their music with a multitude of different musical solos flying about but it all fits in with the overall tone and sound the band demonstrate with The Craft Of Pain.
The vocals from Thiago Cruz are superb throughout as Thiago fully sells Pesta’s twisted Doom Metal vision with some help along the way from Doom Metal legend WINO on the standout third track of Mirror Maze which could easily be considered an actual track released by The Obsessed or Spirit Caravan. Though, before that Pesta blast their way through a few tracks that screams EIGHTIES HEAVY METAL EXCESS on Rites Of Enclosure, Masters Of The Crafts Of Pain and Marked By Hate.
The album is constructed superbly well with excellent production values that manages to allow Pesta to play a multitude of different styles of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal whilst retaining their Doom/Stoner Metal identity within the other standout tracks of the record with In The Drive’s End, Thumbscrew, The Inquisitor Pt 1 and Shadows Of A Desire. The lyrics are quite outlandish but it allows Pesta to create a highly exciting and tense atmosphere within the whole record and by playing some top-notch musical passages along the way.
Pesta are a superb technical band which you don’t fully appreciate until after multiple listens as some of the music is highly progressive that moves into other areas of music that I didn’t expect to hear. So you have to give them credit for doing something different especially with the Psychedelic themes and sounds that suddenly appear out of nowhere.
The Craft Of Pain is a marvellous record that will keep you entertained for a long time to come. If you want a Doom/Stoner Metal record that isn’t afraid to embrace the sounds of Classic Heavy Metal then you can’t go wrong with The Craft Of Pain. This is a winning record on every level possible.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
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