EP Review: Your Spirit Dies – It Is Well… (MNRK Heavy)

South Carolina metallic hardcore outfit Your Spirit Dies return with It Is Well, a new EP set for release on May 22nd via MNRK Heavy.

Small towns across America are home to countless untold stories, and Greenville, South Carolina is no exception. This city may be small, but it’s big on spirit. Your Spirit Dies, hailing from this very place, channels that humble yet fierce energy, embodying an underdog work ethic and an unstoppable fire. The band have used that passion to steadily build a reputation on a blend of metallic hardcore that pulls from both classic and modern influences. Their MNRK Heavy debut, My Gnawing Pains Will Never Rest leaned into those influences which range from At The Gates to Killswitch Engage to Napalm Death and even Giallo horror classics like The Beyond.

Now, with It Is Well, Your Spirit Dies look to push that sound further. Working alongside producer Randy Leboeuf, the band have stripped things back and rebuilt with intent, crafting a concise three-track release that aims to capture the essence of what they’ve been developing over the past few years—something heavier, darker, and more refined, while still rooted in the influences that shaped them.

Vocalist Brandon Byars states:

“With this new material, we’ve settled into what we’ve sought for several years. The intention of Your Spirit Dies was never to be simply pastiche, but to take the influences that shaped us early on and view them through a modern lens and I think we’ve succeeded. It’s heavy, dark, melodic, and everything that YSD should be. Working with producer Randy Leboeuf on this project was awesome. We went with a decent amount of demo material to pick and choose from and only really used two or three parts. A lot of the writing came really naturally, and we had these songs in their final forms in a matter of a couple of days.”

Your Spirit Dies are Brandon Byars on vocals, Tyler Dorman and Hunter Lenoir on guitars, Killian Dawson on bass and Keenan MacNeal on drums.

We don’t have a lot to get stuck into here on It Is Well… with just three tracks and a runtime of less than 8 minutes in total. Lets hope it’s a matter of quality over quantity.

The first track is titled Starless (video below) and it’s a heavy one, wasting no time getting to it as we launch straight into metallic riffs and intense, driving drums. It’s fiery and aggressive from the outset, with strong shouted and roared vocals carrying a real sense of urgency. The guitars bring plenty of bite too, with screeches and squeals cutting through the weight. Then, halfway through, it shifts. A more melodic layer comes in, adding a touch of catchiness that elevates the track instantly from good to great. It’s a smart change of pace that sticks, before the band swing back into the heavier side to close. A very strong start that hits hard but really stands out because of that added melody.

When Peace, Like A River follows and acts as a brief intermission. At just 56 seconds, it leans fully into atmosphere, built around church choir sounds that gradually get swallowed by distortion. It hints at a transition into the final track, but while there’s a shared tone, it doesn’t flow directly into it. I don’t know the band well, so maybe there is more meaning to it but for me, on such a short EP, it cuts what I saw as a short EP even shorter.

Closing track Whispers In Omen is the standout. At over four minutes, it takes up more than half of It Is Well… and uses that time well. Like Starless, it comes in with energy—booming drums, crunchy riffs, and deep, commanding vocals—but the extended runtime allows for more variation. There are moments where melody creeps in, alongside sections where the band lock into a groove and let things breathe a little more.

The real payoff comes towards the end, as everything slows down into a heavier, doomier finish. Layers of melody sit over weighty riffs and pounding drums, while hushed, echoed vocals add an eerie atmosphere. It lands hard, sticks in the memory, and closes the EP in a way that genuinely leaves you wanting more.

It Is Well… makes an impact while it lasts, with Your Spirit Dies delivering a strong mix of heaviness, melody, and atmosphere across its short runtime. There are highs and clear talent, especially on the opening and closing tracks, but at just three songs it does end feeling more like a teaser for what’s next rather than a fully satisfying release on its own. I look forward to seeing Your Spirit Dies take this evolution and build on it. It Is Well… is a strong foundation to kick on from.

Tracklist:

1.Starless
2. When Peace, Like A River
3. Whispers In Omen

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