The Post-Human Condition, the second release from the group No More Pain, is pretty intent on letting you know you’ll have to be more engaged than you ordinarily would. The cover of the release shows an omniscient computer monitor in the shy with a demonic eye surveying humans tumbling out of it, slowly evolving into sheep as they fall. The narrative, while not performed in broad, rock-opera strokes, does relate to the last “untethered” man who awakes in a world overrun by technology. You probably couldn’t get more album-oriented than that in the digital age. (Bonus points for irony because you’re reading this review on your cellphone or computer.)
The band No More Pain has a long reach into the past as far as its influences are concerned. At one moment you might catch some Gabriel-era keyboard flourishes, or a Floyd groove, or a Kansas vibe, but then things swing into a heavy, Dream Theater sort of form. These touchstones never linger for too long, and never get in the way of the music, even as it extols its virtues. More importantly, even though there are longer songs to be found on the disc, there’s apparent compositional control taking place as well. In English: the songs are long when they need to be, and not because that’s what the genre demands.
That said, the CD concludes with the multi-part “The Network.” I’m hesitant to describe it as an “epic,” which has lately become dirty code for “just a really long pastiche of songs with no real reason for being so long.” In fact, each section of The Post-Human Condition has a sense of purpose, and things aren’t being tossed in merely to make things longer. The listener feels that there’s a reason for it all to be there.
And that reason is, in part, a high level of musicianship. If potential listeners are turned off by that, and are more inclined for straight riff-rock styled music, this is not the CD for them. The band has seen a few internal changes since the recording of the CD, but the captured collaboration of Mike Roman (vocals, guitar), Matt McDermott (keyboards), John Moroney (bass), and Dan Rainone (drums) sounds far more accomplished than two CDs would presume to say. Even in the heavier portions, the songs never stop being melodic, even hooky.
http://popdose.com/cd-review-no-more-pain-the-post-human-condition/We rarely review progressive rock albums here. This is mostly because most “prog-rock” nowadays obviously don’t know that “prog” is short for “progressive” and that “progressive” means “favouring or promoting progress”. Well, No More Pain is no different. The Post Human Conditionis a great, albeit standard, prog rock album; it sticks to the prog rockformula.
Heavily influenced by Spock’s Beard, apparently, themselves heavily influenced by the likes of Gentle Giant, ELP, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd, NMP dwell in 60s and 70s progressive rock, with a modern edge to it. There’s nothing new that’s brought to the table here, nothing that’s a game changer, and they probably won’t be very influential. That being said, The Post Human Condition is a great album for fans of the genre, and for those who actually like the standard prog rock formula.
While they use pretty much all common tropes of the genre and stick to the paradigm, it never (well, almost) sounds cliche or overtly retrograde. The guitar is masterfully done as well as the piano, and they can both almost draw tears from the listener’s eyes at times, while remaining “crazy” enough to create a feel of circus music that appears but a few times throughout the whole album. And that “circus music” feel is what made Haken sound so amazing at first (now they’ve totally lost it).
The Post Human Condition is varied enough, playing through quite a lot of prog rock styles, and it’s wonderfully crafted and perfectly played, making it, honestly, one of the best prog rock albums of recent times, easily comparable to the aforementioned Spock’s Beard. It’s a must for any prog rock fan.
http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=101083 
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