Confessions Of A Traitor: ‘This Pain Will Serve You’ Album Review
A lot has happened for Confessions Of A Traitor (COAT), a 4-piece U.K. metal band, since their 2019 viral “Breakfast Breakdowns” video, where they screamed lyrics over pancakes & sausage for patrons of a local Romanian restaurant. They were signed to Facedown Records, released two albums and toured across the U.S. & U.K. They recently wrapped up a summer tour with Bloodlines, Meadows and No Treaty, supporting their latest release, This Pain Will Serve You.
Just dropped in May, this metalcore album features 11 tracks and multiple contributors, ranging from Tommy Green, of HolyName, Trevor Tyson, of Heal The Hurt, to the nu-metal sounds of fellow Brits, Black Coast. This is their sophomore release on Facedown, following Punishing Me Before God Does.
The Pain Will Serve You Album Review
Tracks: 11
Length: 36 minutes
Release Date: May 16, 2025
Label: Facedown Records
Since its release in May, The Pain Will Serve You has been the go-to Christian metal album of the summer. The band uses haunting melodies and gritty lyrics to draw the listener into a deeper dialogue about grief, religious abuse, and self-worth, while maintaining a message of hope and redemption. The album starts off strong with its first three tracks, “Starve,” “Fatal Frame” and “Doomsayer.” From the very first note, “Starve” serves as a great introduction to this album: fast, aggressive and shares a great message of perseverance.
“Through trials, your strength will shine through and one day this pain will serve you.”
As soon as the last notes of “Starve” fade, the album flows right into “Fatal Frame,” which packs the same punch as “Starve.” These two songs help set the stage for the rest of the album, with its fast pacing and gut-wrenching lyrics. Confessions of a Traitor doesn’t seem to want to slow down, with the guitars pushing through and the breakdowns at the end of this song compelling you to headbang, no matter where you are.
Another highlight of the album is “Still Haunted.” This song features the clean vocals of Tommy Green from Sleeping Giant and HolyName along with the scream vocals of Trevor Tyson of Heal The Hurt. I would describe it as a Beauty & Beast song. You have the gentle and soft, clean vocals from Tommy paired with the harsh screams of both Trevor and Stephen. I couldn’t stop playing this song on repeat!
“Hail Mary” grabbed my attention with it’s deep and painful meaning. It’s unfortunate that we live in a broken world. While the church is supposed to be a safe space, there are those who do harm under the name of Christianity. In this song, Convictions Of A Traitor goes after those who abuse, but hide behind the name of God. To tackle this heavy topic, they called in the guys from Convictions to assist with brutal screams and heavy riffs.
The last two songs I want to point out on this record are “Let It Consume Me” and “The Sins I’ve Yet to Answer For.” I enjoyed the synth at the beginning of “Let It Consume Me” as it offered something different from the rest of the album. What really caught my attention, besides the contribution of Leroy Hamp (War of Ages), were the lyrics:
“Created in his image, but I despise mine. This is sacrilege of the divine. Within this battle, I’ll find self affection. You’ll never see the hate I hold within, I’m a hostage in my skin.”
Those lyrics pull no punches, with the message focused on how often we hate ourselves. We put ourselves lowly and wonder “how could God love us?” But this key moment creates the transition to “The Sins I’ve Yet to Answer For.” The song continues the message from “Let It Consume Me” with a strong focus on our shortcomings. But at the end of the song, Stephen screams,
“My heavy heart, rotten to the core. With these sins I’ve yet to answer for. From a wretch’s cry, forgiveness hails. One cross, three nails.”
Great way to end a song - to go from utter rottenness to a chance for redemption!
Overall, this was a fantastic album to listen to. If you’re looking for an album to rock out to while you’re at the gym or if you just need a good headbanging, this is that album! A great follow-up to their Facedown debut. There were moments of high energy and moments where they would slow things down, like the opening to “Doomslayer.” Each song brought its own momentum that continued to build upon itself and put together one of the best albums of the year.
My one critique is while there were many highs, there were some songs that were indistinguishable from each other. This is a common thread in metal, where songs tend to run together, but there were definitely some stand out moments in this album. All in all, I’m giving This Pain Will Serve You a 4 out of 5 stars.
Check out Confessions of a Traitor
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