Album/EP

SAME PAINS - closure - an aggregate (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Oct 14, 2024

7 min read

SAME PAINS - closure- an aggregate
Released: October 4, 2024

Justin Kelly // Lead Vocalist
Jimmy Driver // Guitarist & Vocalist
Ben Burrows // Guitarist & Vocalist
Jaden Joslin // Bassist
Mike Maynard // Drummer

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aggregate; a whole formed by combining several elements.

Wearing the pride of North Queensland heavy upon their shoulders, SAME PAINS have been taking over the live space with intense and chaotic shows as evident in their showcases at BIGSOUND back in September. But now, the band has taken strides in their buzzing career, translating this passion and energy into a recorded collection of sound and story, aptly titled closure- an aggregate. This body of work shines a bright light on the band's creative prowess, with a particular focus on instrumental narrative, and moments joining together both sonically and thematically. A mere taste of what they have to offer, SAME PAINS are ones to watch.

closure opens with latest single ‘candle memory’. A riffy and haunting beginning sets this collection up to be a mesmerizing feat of both electric, and eclectic, soundscapes, traversing through the band’s swiftly garnered lessons and turns of growth. The track places a heavy emphasis on their instrumental flair, before introducing sharp and piercing vocals that, at times, seep with that Australian, homegrown nature (adding that North Queensland flair). Justin Kelly’s vocals document their own journey from the pit of his chest, through the crevices of his throat, with each scratch and crack a moment in time. Feelings of submission and fleeting lie on unwavering instrumentals, that even in their most isolated of moments, guide the song for its duration.

A siren-like whirl from the amplifier sees SAME PAINS lead seamlessly into ‘lockjaw’, perfectly transitioning the same tides of yearnful screams and palpable, gutachey sounds. A deep bass riff penetrates but also stabilizes the fast and intruding drums, creating an inescapable foundation to the many pillars of their sound. Moments of disconnection and disarray are what make this track such an insatiable offering- from the fading instrumentals to the soaring guitars that stray from the safety of the collective. ‘lockjaw’ offers an introduction to the clean vocals too that are smooth, floating upon a bed of hostility, and become more angelic through this. closure, in its many snippets, is a showcase of SAME PAINS’ stellar guitar work with sounds that are hard to ignore, and hyperbolise the feeling of an all-encasing environment that is both ethereal and brutal.

In another smooth transition, much like a sailing boat gliding upon a glistening and calm river, the listener reaches their next destination in the form of ‘don’t try to find me’. It becomes hard to detach yourself from the narrative at play, as the pages turn with unfinished sentences, aching to be read. closure is a collection that is much like a thread, and although it may have some knots, it does not house any frays. Ominous guitars flicker like a searchlight among a pitch black forest, with the slight electronic beats now emulating a staggering and stressed heartbeat. This instrumental moment is a reminder of this piece's stance as a story of SAME PAINS, and its untethered and unrestricted emotional realm. As a disjointed voice echoes the namesake of the song title we, as a listener, are jolted.

With no time to become saturated by that finale, we resort to ‘blur’, the aggregate’s first collaboration, housing the talents of Kael Botica. Standing as one of the group's most popular works to date- it is a recipe of classically loved metalcore elements on steroids. Kelly’s screams penetrate with visceral feelings, which at their core, reach into the most primal depths of the vocalist's being. This showcase reaches its crux just before the breakdown, where it almost feels like you can feel his vocal cords severing- only held together by their own urgency, deliverance, and conviction. Once again, the Jaden Joslin bass becomes a seductive and sturdy formation to this track.

‘nausea OD’ takes a step back for me. Whilst still being a fearsome addition with sounds whirring, it becomes hearty metalcore in its most straightforward evolution. The instrumentation is the main vessel of this track. Some vigorous and righteous screams conclude this affirming performance which are yet another essence of spectacle within this exhibition of the band. It is merely that in the essence of its counterparts, the track wavers in its strength.

SAME PAINS quickly reverts from this slump with ‘palebodypaleheart’. The track houses a sharp and fast riffage that annihilates the tension and reinstates itself on an aggressive and brutal playing field. Kelly charges through with a profound and inextinguishable passion. There is an unbridled rage in this track that for a moment in the collection, felt slightly lost. But now, in this form, is now a testament to SAME PAINS’ almost excruciating recording process that sees this body of work formulate itself on a mountain of feeling, swaying at each song's dramatic upheaval of memory, anguish, pain and frustration. This is for sure a standout from the aggregate. Moments of shifting tone and tempo find the song swirling into depths unimaginable, with a mix of haunting screams and dire clean vocals truly sealing the deal.

The slight drumstick taps shapeshift themself into the sound of a gentle strum within an echoing room. In another exhibition of the band's instrumental prowess, ‘for if you do’ dances from a gospel profession and moment of reflection, to jarring static that quickens your pulse and resembles the upheaval of your comfort. SAME PAINS’ experimentation of sounds as a bridge is something to note within their discography, all of which are poignant in their presentation.

‘unsew’ welcomes a jarring electronic beat which blares both sharp and fast. It is hypnotizing in its pace, even when engulfed in the flurry of sounds that are produced in both an expressive and excessive nature. Deep growls are showcased at their lowest and most formidable, adding a new dynamic to the outfit's already raw performance. ‘unsew’ concludes by burrowing itself into a hellscape, with a dense production of sounds that do not merely bounce within the soundscape, but upon each other with no space for interference or escape. This is SAME PAINS relishing in their sound inventory, and throwing the crafts they have mastered at us from every angle.

Rolling drums introduce the listener to yet another intoxicatingly riffy chapter through ‘kin of death’. Guitars, once again, both in the foreground and background, capture moments of bustling creativity and waverance that add refreshing bursts into this heavily layered feat. The song fades into a delicate and reassuring slice of musicality, which aids the desperation and pleading of the track- and sees what before was pure rage turned into a feeling that reflects anguish and great mourning into the listener's heart and mind.

‘no longer am i with you’ fills the finale in the aggregate, and it is twinkling. It is a comedown of feeling, reflecting in the moments of its predecessors. Gentle and empathetic strings act as a guiding hand, and a soothing accompaniment to the journey that was, and the journey that continues for the North Queensland outfit. It is a beautiful piece that is not to be discounted within this erratic and bustling collection. How the band will introduce it at live shows has me pondering their exciting future.

closure - an aggregate is a profound and weighted offering from SAME PAINS, seeing them solidify themselves in this, at times, oversaturated genre, through a vivid selection of some of their most inspired, energetic, expressive, and individual noise. From the opening track onwards, the body of work latches on to you, making it hard to leave as a casual listen, but as a moment in time to celebrate. Despite some moments of still finding their feet, SAME PAINS have displayed some true talent that will see them quickly rise.