Spiritbox - ‘Eternal Blue’ - album review
Spiritbox – Eternal Blue (Rise Records)
If you haven’t heard the name Spiritbox over the last 18 months, then I hate to break it to you but you’ve definitely been living under a rock. Formed of previous members of IWrestledABearOnce and Living With Lions, the Canadian band exploded into the mainstream back last July when they released the brutal, djent-y Holy Roller. After teasing their debut album ever since, the group finally released Eternal Blue last week and it did not disappoint.
Spiritbox have employed a lot of the things that made me fall in love with the band when writing and recording this album. It begins with Sun Killer, a song that starts with a haunting synth, deep basslines and progressive drums that keep driving the song forward to the point of no return. Mike Stringer’s guitar kicks in with the same beat as the rhythm section and adds another layer to what was already shaping up to be a heavy song. Whispers of “sun killer, sing me to sleep” bring the song back down to a ‘normal’ level. Then just as you would have turned the volume up to hear them, the breakdown kicks in with vocalist Courtney LaPlante’s aggressive screams.
All of the songs use variations of these elements in completely different ways throughout the album. You can clearly hear the different inspiration that derives from a diverse music taste with elements of metalcore, djent, and progressive metal to create the 12 tracks we can listen to. Hurt You is a prime example, with clear influence coming from nu-metal in the deep guitar tone that is so recognisable as Stringer’s. LaPlante immediately lets loose in the song and begins screaming along – they really don’t mess around with this one. The chorus however is a lot more mellow, and she lets her other vocal talent take over and sings, yet still keeping those heavy undertones we’re all coming to love.
Spiritbox have this tell-tale sign that a breakdown is coming. Everything but the ambient synth or drum pad drops out and it begins to ever so subtly build until you think you’ve fully prepared yourself to be hit by the tonne of bricks that is Stringer’s bottom-heavy guitar tone and chunky riffs. But no matter how heavy and brutal they may make their music; they have a knack for the gentler stuff too. Tracks like The Summit are extremely progressive and use a clean guitar tone to bring the pace of the album down slightly and allow you to rest. But you’re not allowed to rest for long because by the end of the song, both of LaPlante’s vocal styles are layered over each other to create a contrasting melody.
It's obvious that I’m a huge fan of Spiritbox and pretty much everything they produce but it's oddly rewarding to see this band grow from having a seemingly small number listeners at the start of 2020, to collaborating with huge names like Architects’ Sam Carter on this brand-new album little over a year later. They're a band that can do pretty much anything in my eyes; contrasting the raw power of songs like Silk In The Strings with Constance, a haunting ballad about dementia that was dedicated to LaPlante’s grandmother. I know a lot of people are hesitant to jump on the bandwagon of the new ‘flavour of the month’ but I have a feeling Spiritbox will be around and releasing music for a lot longer than that. They’re just that good.
10/10
