Menin's power has rarely been glimpsed outside of the Pacific Northwest until now. Two drummers, downtuned guitar, and towering bass bring about an involuntary slow-headbang with interlocking polyrhythmic riffs. The unhinged vocals of guitarist Chris Gray serve to further disorient and disturb the listener.

Lord of Pain launches Menin's unrelenting heaviness into the farthest corners of the universe for all but the deafest of heshers to behold. Each track explores the power and wrath of creator/destroyer gods from works of science fiction and fantasy. Lord of Pain's title track is named for the Shrike from Dan Simmons's Hyperion Cantos: a 10-foot-tall, four-armed, time-traveling monster made of knives.