Your Spirit Dies doesn’t just pay tribute to early 2000s metalcore — they revive it with venom, purpose, and a sharpened sense of songwriting. My Gwaning Pains Will Never Rest is a vicious, emotionally charged record that blends the rawness of hardcore with the precision and groove of modern metalcore. It’s aggressive, dynamic, and soaked in pain.

From the opening moments, the band plunges into dissonant, fast-paced riffing that immediately evokes the chaotic energy of early-era Zao and Misery Signals. Tracks like “Trenches of Pain” and “Ritual Sacrament” waste no time, hitting listeners with relentless blast beats, jagged guitars, and snarling vocals that feel genuinely unfiltered. The drumming throughout the record is a highlight — never content with just keeping time, the percussion drives the songs with creative fills and explosive cymbal work.

Collaborations on the album elevate it further. Dan Weyandt’s feature on “Serpentine” brings a gothic edge, and his vocals blend seamlessly into the dense, groove-laden riffing that makes the song stand out. Likewise, “A Snow in Summer” includes a fiery guest spot from NO CURE’s Blaythe Steuer, adding even more grit to a song already packed with razor-sharp guitars and chaotic, dissonant energy. The subtle inclusion of NO CURE’s name in the lyrics is a nice touch — nodding to the hardcore tradition of inter-scene camaraderie.

The band clearly understands the power of contrast, too. Amid the chaos, there are moments of eerie stillness and atmospheric weight, like the haunting intros to “Unjust God” and “An Effigy of Failure,” or the mysterious, groove-heavy pacing of “Shrouded in Silence.” These tracks show a band unafraid to slow things down and let mood carry the weight.

Clean vocals, when they appear — particularly in “Unjust God” — are delivered with conviction, not compromise. They’re not here for radio hooks; they’re aching, pained, and timed to perfection, rising from the storm of distortion like a cry for clarity in a world collapsing around it.

Breakdowns, of course, are everywhere — and they hit. But they’re never lazy or tacked on. Songs like “Born Forsaken” and “Monochrome” build tension masterfully, leading to crushing finales that feel earned, not expected. There’s a clear attention to flow and structure, with each song evolving naturally rather than following a predictable pattern.

The production does a great job of capturing the band’s intensity without sacrificing texture. The guitars are dense and layered, the bass is thunderous and present, and the drums are huge. Nothing feels buried. It all sounds massive and locked-in — a testament to both the band’s tight performance and the engineer’s ear.

Closing track “Night Pierces My Bones,” featuring Carson Pace of The Callous Daoboys, sums up the album’s ethos well: raw energy, thoughtful composition, and a commitment to pushing the genre’s emotional and sonic boundaries. The softer mid-section and dynamic guest vocals remind us that metalcore, at its best, is about more than breakdowns — it’s about catharsis, storytelling, and movement.

My Gwaning Pains Will Never Rest is a relentless and emotionally rich metalcore record that captures the sound and spirit of a scene while pushing it into darker, more nuanced territory. Your Spirit Dies aren’t just mimicking the past — they’re building something vital from its bones.

Rating: 9/10