Frontman Scooter Ward's struggles with his sister's cancer as well as the fallout of the relationship with his fiancé 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.

[6] 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.

Other subjects include the end of Ward's relationship to his fiancé and mother of his daughter and the physical abuse of a 14-year-old girl by her father.

[9] 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.

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

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.