Old Wounds rose from the swamps of New Jersey a few years back and over the course of their existence have developed into one of the most intense hardcore bands out there today. Their fusion of hardcore fury with metal heaviness is seamless and packs quite a punch. In addition, they really do play it like they mean it. They bring anger and aggression to the live setting, delivering performances that are full of passion and sincerity.

On their newest record, you get more of their excellent metal/hardcore fusion, but this time the band adds a little something extra to their sound in the form of cleanly sung vocals by Kevin Iavaroni. He still delivers his usual crazed performance, but the cleanly sung vocals add a nice dose of goth rock darkness to a sound that is already wrapped up in black. Plus, it shows that the band is willing to push the boundaries of their genre, which is always a good thing.

There is still plenty hardcore fury to be found on this disc — it’s just that the band is starting to expand their musical palette. Some of the better hardcore bands of the past decade were the ones that expanded upon the genre’s template, and you can add Old Wounds to this list. The Suffering Spirit shows the band coming of age and is most definitely the start of an interesting musical journey for the band.

(Good Fight Music, no address provided)