Pains Will Wreak Havoc on Your Eardrums

The best litmus test for how much I like a band is how fast I send them to my brother or close friends. I found PAINS a couple months ago, and within 24 hours my brother and I were texting about how violently they rip. Luckily, I caught them right before they dropped Blistering Wrath, their new EP on Twelve Gauge Records.

If you’re into chaotic, noisy, death-metal-leaning heaviness—think Nails, END, or Cult Leader—you’re gonna love PAINS. Read on for some background on the band and their latest release.

First off, give a quick rundown of Pains history. When you started, where you’re based out of etc.

Pains started from the ruins of a band that the 3 of us were all in together called Kingmaker, which was a metalcore band based out of Lake County, IL. Nick was basically a part of the original lineup and Eric joined about a year or so after the band got going and was a mainstay throughout. I (Alex) joined about 1.5 years before the band ended but had known everyone in the band for years prior having been a part of the same scene, one of my old bands and Kingmaker even toured together once.In 2015 we called it quits after a ton of vocalist changes and shifts in musical direction but the final lineup still wanted to keep playing music, just under a different name and musical direction. Pains was born from that and a 5 piece eventually became a 4 piece. Our friend Andy, who helped write a lot of the early stuff pre-2018 moved on and we settled on just being a 3-piece band from there. The band is officially from Rockford, IL, where I grew up and where Nick lives now, despite Eric and I currently living in 2 different parts of Wisconsin.

I would be remiss if I didn’t ask about your sound. It’s violent in the best way possible. Talk to me about your influences and what you hope to accomplish sonically.

I would definitely say it's a fairly broad range of influences, some I think are fairly apparent and some more subtle. 

For sure, Converge; an absolute Mt Rushmore band for us. Definitely a lot of the mid/late aughts/early 10’s “blackened hardcore” or HM2 worship bands like Trap Them, Black Breath, Cult Leader, Gaza, Dead in The Dirt, etc. Death bands like Cannibal Corpse, Decapitated as well as Job For a Cowboy, which was a big bonding band for the 3 of us in our early days prior to Pains. Also shout out to 2 huge influential bands in Yautja and Yashira. Some of the best riffs and composition work in metal. People always compare us to them and every time I’m flattered but Nails for sure. I think a lot of the heart and soul of what they do is also big for Pains; enormous riffs, pissed energy, fast and loud as possible with some mosh parts.

I always like to mention these 3 other bands, and it’s less the direct musical influence and more so some of the more intangible aspects. Meshuggah, Gojira & Nine Inch Nails. Again, I’m sure it’s probably not as apparent in the music outwardly but especially for our most recent release and future music, the tone these bands set, the larger than life feel they all exhibit, how the music whether on record or live feels epic and grandiose, is something we’re trying to capture more and more with Pains as we go along. The band definitely started with a much more narrow scope but we’ve definitely sought to broaden it over the last few major writing sessions. Evolving and trying to keep things a little fresh and different is definitely something we strive for.

With such an abrasive sound without relying on breakdowns, how do you feel the reception has been? Do you feel like you’re settled into your niche or do you hope to find a bigger audience?

Overall I feel like the reception has been great. One of the main things that has kept us going has been how excited people get about the music and the live show, so it’s driven us to keep creating and pushing forward. There are just so many bands out there, so many great bands that it’s a privilege people will give their time and money to support us among all of the others. We hope to keep giving our best in return.

I think for a while we settled into a niche but over the years our aspirations have grown. We are always seeking to broaden our audience as much as we can. At the end of the day it is always about the music and the joy of doing it together but what started more as a hobby has really blossomed into greater ambitions and we’ve been really working the last few years to see those to fruition and try to expand our reach as much as possible.

You’ve got a new EP coming out on Twelve Gauge Records, who did you record with and what can fans expect from it? 

We’re very excited for everyone to hear “Blistering Wrath” in its entirety. Zack Farrar of Chor Room Audio engineered & mixed it and Pete Grossmann of Bricktop Studios mastered it. They also did our prior 2 releases; 2021’s “Gnashing Among the Carnage” EP & our 2-track single from 2023; “Smoldering WIllows/The Suffering is the Point.” The new EP was recorded at a studio space in Rockford, IL with Zack who is a wonderful person to work with. He also helped co-produce a few aspects of the EP. I think fans can expect to hear a blend of the old Pains you’re familiar with; fast, punishing, abrasive but also with a few new twists. Some things musically that we’ve never really done before, exploring more and more of our influences but despite being a band that doesn’t rely on breakdowns for a majority of the parts in our songs, it is something I think you’ll hear more than you did from the last release as each song has at least one part that will make for a fun live show addition.

What do you hope to accomplish over the next year with Pains?

Coming up quick this September, we’ll be hitting a few shows around the midwest to promote the new EP and then we will be working on finishing recording LP1 right before Thanksgiving. From there, we are already planning our 2026. We just confirmed a sweet tour for next June and will be planning to hit more of the US before and after as well. LP1 we hope will be out sometime next year as well as more tour announcements. In short, trying to stay as busy as we can and on everyone’s radar.