PAIN, featuring HYPOCRISY frontman Peter Tägtgren, have announced their Cynic Campaign 2009 tour dates. The schedule is as follows:

January

31 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser

February

1 - Berlin, Germany - Knaack
2 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
3 - Bochum, Germany - Riff
5 - Köln, Germany - Underground
6 - Breda, Holland - Mezz
8 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebop
9 - Frankfurt, Germany - Nachtleben
10 - Stuttgart, Germany - Röhre
11 - Wien, Austria - Szene
12 - München, Germany - Backstage Club
13 - Zürich, Switzerland - Sounddock 14
14 - Milano, Italy - Alcatrazz
16 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
17 - Strasbourg, France - Laiterie Club
18 - Paris, France - La Locomotive
19 - Toulouse, France - Havana Cafe
21 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra 1

As previously reported, BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai recently spoke with Tägtgren about the new Pain album, Cynic Paradise. The following is an excerpt from the interview:

“It was the easiest album to come out of my ass, ever; I didn’t have to squeeze anything," laughs Tägtgren. "On the Nightwish tour I had eight songs completed, four with vocals and four without. We had a 10 day break in the middle of the tour, so I went home a put vocals on two more songs. At the end of the Nightwish tour everyone was screaming at me, telling me I had to put out an album NOW, so I needed more material. When I was writing I didn’t think about how it sounded, which is something I always do. I just thought, ‘Okay, this is a cool song, I’ll keep it,’ and then moved on to the next one. Suddently the album was done."

“The people I’ve talked to have all said the new album is a million times better than the last one (Psalms Of Extinction). They say the last one sounds like I was on Valium (laughs). I think it had a little more atmosphere on it, but I was also producing it as I went along. Instead of making a straight line I tried to make curves everywhere. On Cynic Paradise I was more concerned about writing good songs and I didn’t worry about whether the sound was crappy. I think has the best production of all the Pain albums."

Watch for the full story in BW&BK; #113.