Nuclear Blast Records has issued a new e-card in support of Cynic Paradise, the new album from PAIN, featuring HYPOCRISY frontman Peter Tägtgren. Check it out here.

Pain recently 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 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.