Confessions Of A Traitor – This Pain Will Serve You
Confessions Of A Traitor – This Pain Will Serve You
Facedown Records
Release Date: 16/05/2025
Review by Beth Morait
10/10
Ever get those days where you just need some sheer, unadulterated brutality pumping into your ears? Well, it’s been one of those weeks for me, and that is exactly what I needed. Seek and ye shall find as they say though, and luckily the new album from UK Metalcore band Confessions Of A Traitor was sitting in my queue ready to be enjoyed!
I first came across this band when they tore Oxford a new arsehole at Rabidfest back in 2019. I thought they were one of the best bands of that weekend by a mile, and loved their sheer power on stage. And believe me, that power definitely transfers to their recorded material too.
The album opens with ‘Starve’, which instantly sets the brutality, with vocalist Stephen MacConville growling his anger away at a ferocious volume, along with an equally pummelling instrumentation. And this is what we are gifted on the whole album. Track after track of malicious beatings! Fucking love it!!
‘Doomsayer’ is a really interesting track. It starts of like a runaway train careering into a wall, with some epic speed drumming, and ridiculously brutal instrumentation, but then moves through different passages, in different tempos, some with clean vocals, some with haunting ethereal piano sitting over the top of the barrage, and some with a more classic feal. It kind of explains the album’s theme in one song. That is the theme of grief and loss. The press release says that ‘[the album] captures the lingering presence of the memories that shape our lives while also reflecting on the beauty that can emerge from the depths of sorrow…’ Yep. I can agree with that. This is certainly the soundtrack to my emotions after experiencing profound loss.
After the furious pace of the beginning of the album, ‘Still Haunted’ arrives as somewhat of a palate cleanser, as, while it’s still heavy, it’s much slower, with passages of clean vocals which are full of sorrow, a mournful harmony, and a lovely melancholy guitar solo, alongside the ever-present growls. It gives you time to think and take stock, almost tracking the passage through the different emotional states that loss evokes. The following track, ‘Love You Left Behind’ continues this moment of clarity within the tumult of pain. This is a track that really feels like deep despair and loneliness masterfully portrayed in music.
‘Noble Bloom’ starts ramping back up the fury. It’s got an urgency for answers and understanding about it – possibly the ‘blame’ stage of grief – that’s how it feels to me. The human need to find someone to be at fault for the loss that’s causing so much pain to those left behind, even where there is none.
COAT have a magnificent way of creating a controlled expansiveness in their music. By that I mean the sound is absolutely huge, with a depth that’s almost infinite. But at the same time, everything feels like it’s only allowed to reach a certain point, and is measured with pinpoint accuracy, so nothing is overdone, despite its enormity. Technically, this band are an absolute class act of precision playing and musical understanding, which the lyrical content matches perfectly, along with the delivery. This whole album puts me at ease, despite the harrowing nature of the themes. It’s almost like a release because here is a band who’ve put into music all those emotions that are so hard to explain with words alone. They’ve created a work that simply says ‘I get it’, which is so validating.
Sorry, that got really deep didn’t it!
I’m back in the room. So, in summary, this is an album that is nothing short of brilliant technically, musically, lyrically, and in terms of its production values. It’s an album that is current, but ageless because of its theme, and will still be relevant, and feel current in a decade. If you like Metalcore, and need to feel comforted during times of emotion that you just can’t explain, this needs to be your go-to album.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Starve
02. Fatal Frame
03. Doomsayer
04. Midnight Sun
05. Still Haunted
06. Love You Left Behind
07. Noble Bloom
08. Hail Mary
09. Let It Consume Me
10. The Sins I’m Yet To Answer For
11. Half Life
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Morait and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
