Painstruck

Infobox musical artist
Name = Painstruck


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Origin = Lisbon, Portugal
Genre = Metal, Hardcore, Death metal
Years_active = 1997-present
Label = Paranoid Records
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Current_members = Nuno Loureiro
Raul Vicente
Paulo Lafaia
Past_members = Alexandre Afonso
Ricardo Correia
Ricardo Veloso
Ivo Martins
Felipe Lima
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Painstruck are a doom-death band from Portugal formed in August 1997. The current members of the group are Nuno Loureiro, Raul Vicente, and Paulo Lafaia.

History

Debut and demo tape

Arising from a very assorted musical scene, the band played under the name of Breed-Machine until changing their musical structure. The founding members were Nuno Loureiro (lead guitar and vocals), Paulo Lafaia (drums), Alexandre Afonso (bass guitar), and Ricardo Correia (guitar). All of them had previous projects, including Nuno Merciless Death, Exiled, Sublevel, Disaffected, Grog, and Squad. All of the members had also played with Mortify.

The band started to work on songs that aimed to describe ideals and emotions. They began to tour, and in the last two weeks of December 1998, they released a demo tape. The tape was produced by Nuno Loureiro and recorded in the band's rehearsal room.

"Aggressive Ways to Pacify"

In April 1999, work on the debut album, "Aggressive Ways to Pacify", began in the Rec'N'Roll studios, owned by Luis Barros. Soon after, the band signed a record deal with Paranoid Records. "Aggressive Ways to Pacify" was released in 2001. After its release, Painstruck began an extensive tour of Portugal and Vigo, Spain. The tour included a two-date set with the heavy-metal band Biohazard. In summer 2002, Painstruck received an invitation to play at one of Portugal's largest summer festivals, Ermal. Other invitees included Slipknot, Dimmu Borgir, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

"A Whole New Perception"

"Aggressive Ways to Pacify" sold well in Portugal that year. The second album, "A Whole New Perception", was already finished by March, and was released in October 2002. Painstruck aimed for this to be their masterpiece. The first release of the album sold out, and a second edition, with never-before-seen photos and videos was later released.

In 2003, Painstruck played a two-night set with Stone Sour. A friend of the band recorded the action and compiled the footage in a video for one of the band's singles, "In Us You Live". The video played throughout the year on the TV station Sol Musica. They also had the honour of being the first band to be invited to the 2003 Ermal festival.

Recent events

Painstruck has had a number of members throughout the years. The current band is composed of two original members, Nuno Lureiro and Paulo Lafaia, and Raul Vicente, a replacement for original bassists Ricardo Veloso and Alexandre Afonso. Other people who have been part of the band include Filipe Lima and Ivo Martins.

In April 2005, the band began a new round of touring. Early in 2006, they opened for Testament. On June 23, 2006, Painstruck released their latest album, "The Scalpel (EP)". The band plans to embark on a tour in the near future featuring songs from the new album.

Discography

*"Demo Tape (1998)"
*"Aggressive Ways to Pacify (2001)"
*"A Whole New Perception (2002)"
*"The Scalpel (EP) (2006)"

External links

* [http://www.painstruck.com Official homepage]
* [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=678 Review of "Aggressive Ways to Pacify"]
* [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=8126 Band summary]