Only Through The Pain……

Chris Taylor Brown (Vocals/Guitar)
Peter Charell (Bass)
Aaron “Monty” Montgomery (Drums)
Robb Torres (Guitar)

On their third studio album platinum rockers Trapt have not only returned to form but shattered expectations of what a rock disc can be. With Only Through The Pain, the Northern California-reared, L.A. based band returned to Co-Producer Gggarth Richardson’s Vancouver studio to rekindle the magic that helped propel its 2002 eponymous debut past two million in sales. The end result is a disc that’s as heartfelt and ingenious as it is diverse and seamlessly rewarding.
From the riff-roaring, high energy anthem “Wasteland” to the deeply moving finale “The Last Tear,” the eleven-song follow up to Trapt’s 2005’s gold-certified Someone In Control again finds frontman, guitarist and principal songwriter Chris Taylor Brown going deep. Drawing lyrically on the kind of personal experiences that earned the band modern and mainstream rock smashes like “Headstrong”, “Still Frame” and “Stand Up”, Only Through The Pain affirms Trapt – which also includes co-founding bassist Pete Charell, longtime drummer Aaron “Monty” Montgomery and newly-minted guitarist Robb Torres – has turned out its strongest song-cycle yet.
“I’ve come to a point where I’ve discovered the positives and negatives of pain,” the vocalist explains. “I really believe that the bad times in life really help to contribute to the good times in life and these lyrics embrace that. I much prefer to allow myself to feel everything as it comes, as opposed to maybe numbing yourself so that you can avoid feeling anything.”
Informed by Brown’s past relationships, the emotionally-charged first single, “Who’s Going Home With You Tonight?,” chronicles how mistrust can ruin a relationship. Driven by an infectious chorus, a persevering guitar line and a crunching rhythm, Chris says the song personifies what Trapt does best. “I love big choruses and well written songs,” Brown asserts.
“Contagious” – a look at the positive side of life – asserts that notion with its big swooning chorus, crunching, undeniable guitars and, uh, downright contagious delivery. Elsewhere the alluring, melodic ballad “Black Rose” stems from hurt and loss while the pop-inflected “Ready When You Are” deserves to be a crossover smash.
When asked if Trapt has a secret desire to have a bona fide pop smash, Aaron cites the success of “Headstrong,” which reached #5 on the U.S. pop survey and remarks, “There’s always been that sort of element to our band, even though it’s been hard rock