The members of Pain of Truth are well aware of their good fortunes, and they’re determined to keep focused on the present, remaining grateful along the way. The Long Island, NY hardcore band are on the verge of touring the world for their self-titled second full-length album, out now on DAZE Records. When asked if they could have imagined being as big as they are now, guitarist Nik Hansen shakes his head with a grin, “Absolutely not. This band started with no intention of ever leaving the North East—if we ever even got to play shows.”

Formed in 2020, Pain of Truth have attained the level of success few bands ever reach. That same year they signed with DAZE and came barreling out of the gate with their first release, No Blame … Just Facts EP. Once their bombastic live shows captured audiences’ attention, they built upon that following by releasing their first-full length, Not Through Blood, in 2023. Both releases include an impressive list of guest appearances by members of bands such as Terror, Madball, Trapped Under Ice, and King Nine. Following the release of 2025’s Coast to Coast split with San Jose’s Sunami, their second split EP after 2021’s split with Age of Apocalypse, Pain of Truth entered the studio to write and record their sophomore album.

Despite having hard-hitting tracks across all four of their releases, the members of Pain of Truth rarely, if ever, got to spend time together writing music in the same room. That changed for the new record. “The writing and recording process for this album was pretty different from anything we’ve done prior,” shares Hansen. “We wrote almost every song collectively as a group and a lot of it in person where in the past we would each just send song ideas through videos and voice memos in a text.”

Vocalist Michael Brian Smith shares that the new approach “expanded our writing process.” “There was a few songs like the opening track “Obliteration,” ‘Unforgiven,’ and ‘Filth In Your Head’ that I had written in an original POT fashion. Then, for the first time (drummer) Nick (Barker) came to us with tracks ‘Stranded’ and ‘Beyond The Damage,’ that he started with drums and actually put guitar over it himself. Then (guitarist) Ridge (Rhine) casually sent us ‘Chinatown,’ epic track, which all together gave us a really strong foundation of songs to start from.”

Stachura agrees, sharing that the “writing process felt a lot more cohesive. We actually traveled to write together instead of just sending riffs back and forth through text. It was probably the most time we’ve ever spent together as a band without actually being on tour. I think this might also be the first Pain of Truth release that was really written together in the same room.”

As a result of the change in writing and recording, Pain of Truth were able to bring together their vast musical influences for their second full-length. Working with Grammy-Award winning producer Will Putney, Hansen shares that the new album “has a very large range of every different sound or style that makes Pain Of Truth what it is and these elements have always been there, whether they were subtle or not.” One thing that listeners will notice immediately is that there are no guest-vocal appearances on the new release. It’s all Pain of Truth, as Hansen shares the new album came from “writing whatever we wanted to and whatever we thought sounded cool.”

The collaborative nature of the new record resulted in an album the members of Pain of Truth feel is their best yet. One song that vocalist Smith is particularly proud of is the track “Done For.” “I just love the way I can hear each members’ influence on the song itself. I love the lyrics. I wrote them about the prescription drug business and how there’s so many other natural options that would be way more beneficial to human beings in some cases. They want to keep us weak and sick.” The prescription drug industry is just one of the enemies Pain of Truth targets on their new album, one of the many “systems put in place,” says Smith, “to hold us all down and submissive from the day we’re born till the day we die. The world is beautiful but also completely fucked.”

Against the band’s surging popularity and rising excitement to tour the new album—Stachura shares that the new songs are “burning a hole in our pockets” to play live—Pain of Truth remain grounded. “Being able to play the shows, festivals, and tours we do is beyond anything I expected,” he says. “And I never want to lose perspective on that or let it start feeling routine.”

Hansen agrees, sharing that “none of us take this (success) for granted and know this can be over at any time so were just along for the ride right now.”

When asked about the future, Stachura remains focused on the present, “I’d just like to keep pushing Pain of Truth as far as we can, keep getting opportunities we never expected, and enjoy it while it’s happening.”

Pain of Truth is out now. Get it here. 

Featured photo courtesy of Estevan Oriol