ALBUM REVIEW: Pain Of Truth – Pain Of Truth
Since the release of their first demo, No Blame… Just Facts, in 2020, PAIN OF TRUTH have become a massive name in hardcore. Making a name for themselves for their bold attitude and explosive live shows, if you don’t know what they’re about by now, it’s about time you find out. With their self-titled album, this is PAIN OF TRUTH turned all the way up. It feels less like a progression from their 2023 debut album Not Through Blood, and more like an amping up of exactly who they are.
One of the key changes from their debut album off the bat is the lack of features. Not Through Blood was lent vocals from the likes of Scott Vogel (TERROR), Freddy Cricien (MADBALL), and Justice Tripp (TRAPPED UNDER ICE / ANGEL DUST). But, fittingly for their self-titled, here PAIN OF TRUTH do all of the talking themselves. Michael Smith’s razor sharp vocals are a masterclass in commanding an album. Constantly shifting and changing shape, on tracks like This Hatred and Unforgiven, Smith’s showcase of vocal gymnastics finds sharp and incendiary attacks shifting into a mesmerising command of flow and rhythm, and back again in a split second.
From the offset, you are hit at breakneck speed with the force of attitude and style that has made PAIN OF TRUTH explode in the last few years. Confidence blisters across the album and you are immediately thrown into the assault. Opening track Obliteration, finds big riffs abounding with some truly gnarly guitar lines. Its a thunderous track, throwing you head first into the album and the tumult that will not give up for the next 32 minutes.
Amidst the tumult, PAIN OF TRUTH carry their sound with a keen sense of style. They’ve mastered the knack of a mean, visceral breakdown on the likes of Done For, and deftly play with stomping rhythms and brutal gang vocals on tracks like Fed By Fear. Inflicting each corner of the album with a 90’s and early 00’s hardcore and nu-metal groove, the album carries a signature bounce beneath it. The bass lines on Chinatown NY pulse out and stay under your skin, and dynamic drumming across Stranded and Filth In Your Head keeps you constantly enraptured. Fusing old school style with a fresh and dynamic force, its exactly this interplay that keeps the album, and their dancefloors, brimming with energy and constantly moving.
Ultimately, PAIN OF TRUTH have always known exactly who they are with each release, and it’s that tenacity and attitude that has seen them explode in the last six years. Their self-titled is honestly nothing new for PAIN OF TRUTH, and anyone who has been keyed into them will know exactly what to expect. But with the sheer confidence they approach it with, this is PAIN OF TRUTH turned all the way up.
Rating: 7/10
Pain Of Truth is out now via DAZE.
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