House of Pain (Fine Malt Lyrics), or simply House of Pain, is the debut album by American hip hop group House of Pain, released on July 21, 1992, through Tommy Boy Records. The photograph on the album cover was taken at 820 South Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles.
Rolling Stone (10/29/92, p. 70) – 3.5 Stars – Good Plus – "With a groovy swagger, this collection of hard-core hip-hop tracks offers many moments of technicolor snap and crackle, and also titled House of Pain."[3]
Q (12/92, p. 124) – 3 Stars – Good – "...their music is of the dense, hard-hitting school of hip hop...the group have absorbed black rap's musical lessons and create a satisfying platform for their above average deliveries..."
The Source (9/92, p. 57) – 3.5 Stars – Good Plus – "...a very solid and at times exceptional album...imagine if Licensed to Ill wasn't an upper middle class Jewish thing but rather a working class Irish thang...the atmosphere is like that of a cross between a frat party and a bar room brawl..."
NME (11/7/92, p. 34) – 6 – Good – "...contains some creative and accomplished rap music..."[6]