Rose Tattoo is back after many many years. Last two years saw the band participating to many festivals and their tour has been a huge success. However, Rose Tattoo - like it was the case for Iron Maiden & Kiss - was doing a kind of reunion tour and their fans were dying for a new record. After all, both Kiss and Iron Maiden have delivered a new studio album after their respective reunion tour. The wait is over and its name is Pain.

I imagine first that Pain resumes the difficult task encountered by the band to record new songs. On the other hand, considering the "look" of the musicians, I suppose it refer to the ache when you make a tattoo. Rose Tattoo is back, back for good and not here just to make easy money. Where Psycho Circus (Kiss) was a disillusion, Pain confirms Rose Tattoo is alive and well. A kind of new born !!!

Pain reminds the best of Motörhead and of course the first albums of the tattooed rose. No weak tracks, pure fucking rock 'n' roll, heavy and wonderfully produced, this album celebrates the return of the best Australian heavy/rock band, AC/DC being out of reach. At the end of Pain I said to myself : "This is what I call boogy-rock !".

Following the Australian tradition, the sound is heavy, the guitars raging motor oil, the vocals fuming like never before. Rose Tattoo is playing like young fellows and you can almost feel the joy of the band at the studio. Pain gives you the envy to twist and head-bang all day long. The songs I prefer are Black Magic, The Devil Does It Well, Pain, Union Man, Satan's Eyes, Hard Rockin' Man and House Of Pain, but as previously stated, there is no weak track on Pain.

This band knows how to rock and I am pretty sure you will be astonished by this band at Wacken's first night .... for those of you who are lucky to go to THE best metal summer festival. One thing is clear, with such a record, Rose Tattoo will explode the scene and drive us mad. I am dying waiting for the 1st August 2002, but 'til then I am listening to this fantastic Pain which is running nights & days to help me surmounting the long wait :))