Delivering pure sonic terror is something that Midwest grinding death trio Pains have not let up on one bit over the course of their nine-year existence. In fact, the band continue to intensify their sonic output, growing more explosive and expressive with every release as they continue to dial in their unrelenting tonal assault. With that said, I don’t think they could’ve come up with a better name for their upcoming EP, Blistering Wrath, releasing on August 22 via Twelve Gauge Records.
Following the shotgun-blast-to-the-chest impact of their debut single off the new EP, “Shrapnel Dispersion,” New Noise are excited to share the band’s animated video for the all-new smasher, “Jaws of Malice.” Tormenting and aggressive from start to finish, the track scratches and claws its way at you, which seems fitting, as the lyrics reflect the agony of digging oneself out of a burial.
Pains vocalist/guitarist Alex Gaspar states: “I had this idea of me being trapped in a coffin and wanted to expand on that. Things blossomed from there. The first line in ‘Jaws’ is ‘the nails claw at the top of the pine,’ which is a direct reference to that idea … I structured each song on this EP as an act of an unofficial story. Ultimately, it’s about triumphing over unjust oppression and ‘Jaws’ is the song that easily gets the most personal in that regard.”
Simultaneously, the accompanying video for the track feels just as disturbing. The fully animated video and video concept for “Jaws of Malice” was created by Torey Kervick, to which Gaspar states: “What had initially started as a visualizer idea for video stuff turned into a full-fledged animated video by the incredibly talented Torey Kervick who we have worked with in the past and who has done amazing work for other artists as well. She came up with this great idea to make a more ‘funny’ video but with serious overtones. The fake commercials and satirical elements being very representative of the world at large today.”
Watch the video here:
Gaspar continues, “I had originally named the whole EP Jaws of Malice, and all the other song names were a little different. However, after some pivoting, we chose it as a song name instead …The idea of digging out of your own grave with such fervor and intent to survive and overcome until your hands blister from the clawing of dirt and rock—Blistering Wrath was born from those lyrics and just encompassed what we were trying to convey better with the EP as a whole.”
Blistering Wrath was produced by Pains and Zack Farrar of Choir Room Audio, who also engineered and mixed the release. The EP was mastered by Pete Grossman of Bricktop Audio.
Blistering Wrath Tracklist:
1. Shrapnel Dispersion
2. Jaws Of Malice
3. Made Of Filth and Anger
*Vinyl includes two previously released bonus tracks, “Smoldering Willows” and “The Suffering Is the Point.”
Blistering Wrath releases August 22, and you can preorder it from Twelve Gauge Records.
Photo courtesy of Dusty Hansen (Vestige Photos)
