Out of the sad news for fans of the once popular Neurotic Disorder, comes out the good news for those who can now enjoy the head banging loudness of Branded by Pain. This three-piece band was originally designed to be a foursome, but the bass player, who became a stand-in singer, grew into the role so well, the band stopped looking for a vocalist and awarded the bass player this title as well. Since 2008 Branded by Pain has been playing local Montreal venues and – in their own words –making ears bleed.

You can find these guys on just about every up & coming band portal for Quebec bands. Each of their online band profiles is very well put together and offers all the background on the band any interested party would care to know. They are currently in studio working on an album, something the fans will be able to enjoy very soon. They also have a demo CD of a few of their songs – something of a must for every emerging band. They are also exploring taking part in some international battle of band events, such as the Emergenza Music Festival, to further promote their band.

Branded by Pain certainly lives up to their description – they bring the headband to audiences across the city, and thanks to the magic of online music posting, the world. They play a very energetic set and the bassist/vocalist stays equally focused on both tasks and still manages glance at the crowd and engage them in his art. Some really cool sounds at the start of ‘War’ serve to really set them apart in my mind from similar metal bands I’ve encountered.  Sometimes that’s all it takes to set yourself apart and cut out your niche.