Old Wounds

The Suffering Spirit

BY Natalie Zina WalschotsPublished Jun 26, 2015

7
On the surface, The Suffering Spirit is deceptively simple: a lean, tight record of harrowingly aggressive hardcore with some great breakdowns. It's also very clever, the way it deploys violence with as much smirk as snarl as tracks like "Rest In Piss" have.
 
But on repeated listens, the album begins to give up more, revealing a compelling emotional core that is not immediately apparent. The drumming plays a large role in this: Brandon Gallagher infuses a striking amount of complexity and feeling into how hard he hits, with both precision and abandon. The emotive centre of the record, though, is Kevin Iavaroni's bloody, raw vocal performance. His clean singing, especially, is incredibly vulnerable, and the simple melodies cut deep.
 
While the heat and aggression of "Never Sleep Again" or "Son of No One" might grab you by the throat at first, it's the unexpected heart that will keep you coming back to The Suffering Spirit.
(Good Fight)

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