A Different Kind of Pain

A Different Kind of Pain
Studio album by Cold
Released	August 30, 2005
Recorded	December 2004-January 2005, in New York at Bearsville Studio & in Bavon, VA at Studio Barbarosa
Genre	Post-grunge, alternative rock
Length	42:32
Label	Flip/Atlantic/Lava
Producer	Michael "Elvis" Baskette
Cold chronology
Year of the Spider (2003) A Different Kind of Pain (2005) Superfiction (2011)
Singles from A Different Kind of Pain
"Happens All the Time" Released: 2005 "A Different Kind of Pain" Released: 2006

A Different Kind of Pain is the fourth studio album by American post-grunge band Cold. It was released on August 30, 2005 in the US and September 12, 2005 in the UK and features the singles "Happens All the Time" and "A Different Kind of Pain." It has sold over 160,000 copies in the US and would be Cold's last album before their nearly three-year breakup beginning in 2006.

The time of the album's recording and release marks a turbulent period for Cold with the band signing to a new record label, experiencing numerous lineup changes, and obtaining weakened commercial success. Frontman Scooter Ward's struggles with his sister's cancer as well as the fallout of the relationship with his fiance during this time also provided lyrical inspiration. The result, A Different Kind of Pain, expands on the melodic, less aggressive sound that the band had begun exploring with 2003's Year of the Spider.

Background and style

Prior to writing the album, Cold was in the process of seeking a new record label. Upon the group's return to Jacksonville, Ward briefly checked himself into rehab.

By September 2004, the band had added former member Matt Loughran and was signed by Atlantic Records (Lava Records division), where they set about recording a new album. It was to be produced by Elvis Baskette and slated to be released in December 2004. However, Cold suffered another blow with Eddie Rendini leaving the band. The new album was then scheduled for a spring 2005 release before Cold decided to head back to the studio and record several more tracks. In June 2005, the band's official website noted a third and final change to the album's title. Two previous working titles were And a Sad Song Lives On and The Calm That Killed the Storm; however, it was again changed to broaden the interpretation of the album's songs.^[1]

The name and much of the album's lyrics were inspired by Ward's sister Jen's battle with cancer. In fact, the band wrote much of the material in Ward's parents' house, particularly in Jen's room. Ward described the making of the album as "a healing process," and fortunately, as the band was finishing up, his sister had gone into remission.^[1] Given the record’s primary source of inspiration, A Different Kind of Pain maintains the visceral, anxious tones characteristic of Cold’s sound yet strays from the band’s typical aggression. Instead, it focuses almost entirely on perseverance through love and personal struggle which, while still conjuring a somber atmosphere, provides a distinctly more uplifting and spiritual presence that the group notably began exploring on Year of the Spider. This is evident "God's Song," one of various tracks laced with religious themes. Other subjects include the end of Ward's relationship to his fiance and mother of his daughter and the physical abuse of a 14-year-old girl by her father. In a first for Cold, the album also includes a trudging piano ballad in the form of its title track.

Release and reception

Commercial success

The album faced multiple delays until its release in August 2005. It debuted at #26 on the Billboard 200, with more than 36,000 copies sold. A Different Kind of Pain would ultimately sell over 160,000 copies in the US, failing to match the success of its major label predecessors.

Cold's fourth album featured the lead single "Happens All the Time," which managed to chart modestly on both Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Tracks in 2005. "Happens All the Time" appeared as a sample track on all Xbox 360 Premium Systems. A music video was also filmed in which the band performs on a cloudy beach. Frontman Scooter Ward is also shown unconscious following a car accident on the rocky shore. Paramedics attempt to resuscitate him as a concerned crowd of youth, as well as the band members and Ward himself, watches on. Finally, Ward's hand reaches out and grabs the wrist of the paramedic as the video comes to a close.

The album's title track served as a follow-up single and similarly charted modestly; however, a music video was not filmed.

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
PopMatters	link

A Different Kind of Pain received mixed reviews. Critics were largely bothered by the album's spiritual undertones and emotional emphasis and also claimed that the band strayed too far from its heavy roots. Johnny Loftus of Allmusic summed it up with "Different Kind of Pain might work as therapy, but it falters musically."

Track listing

All songs written by Scooter Ward and Sam McCandless, except where noted.

Credits

• Scooter Ward - lead vocals, guitar, piano
• Matt Loughran – guitar
• Mike Booth – guitar
• Jeremy Marshall – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Sam McCandless – drums
• Michael "Elvis" Baskette – producer
• Dave Holdredge – engineer
• Jef Moll – digital editing
• Ben Grosse – mixing

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

References