I've decided to start a new series on the blog, a whole new heading and all, for deep dives for bands and artists I'm not well versed on. Not only is this a way for me to get really well acquainted with some artists big in the scene, but it also helps shine a light on some underappreciated bands who I think deserve a post about their music. In these deep dives, I'm going to be talking about the subject at length, using a range of sources to discuss the sound and stories of whoever it ends up being - and I have a pretty huge list of artists I should sink my teeth into next, if you have any ideas, there's a comment box at the bottom of this page.
We're going to start off with Spiritbox, a band I am consistently hearing about, not only because they're apparently brilliant, but it's also a band big in the scene with a female lead singer. Publications across the board talk about their progressive style and insane riffs, and especially refer to the lead singers amazing vocal range, which are all things that sound insanely exciting. Female representation in the metal scene I think is really vital in such a male dominated space, and we should champion female voices just as much as, of not more, than male ones, so to hear bands like this are blazing their way across the scene does make my heart pretty happy. So let's start a deep dive into the works of Spiritbox, shall we?
(Image courtesy of Jonathan Weiner // Forbes)
Origins
Spiritbox hails from Victoria, Canada, and consists of four members at the time of writing - Courtney La Plante on lead vocals, Mike Stringer on guitar, Zev Rosenburg at the drums and Josh Gilbert on the bass. La Plante and Stringer were originally in metalcore band Iwrestledabearonce, but after a slew of records, in 2015 the pair decided to go solo and create their own music project. The two had both come into the band in a turbulent time, each replacing another member respectively, and felt like 'newbies' amongst the rest of a band - an odd dynamic the both of them heavily disliked. At this point in time, the pair were engaged, and after being married in 2016, the two began recording for their new unnamed band.
After a planned record began being worked on, rearranged by former bandmate Mikey Montgomery and recorded in their own home studio, the pair announced their new band Spiritbox in 2017, and in that same year they released their aforementioned self titled debut EP. Although it was received relatively well, not much could be done in terms of translating these songs onto a live stage, as no live musicians could be found to play with La Plante and Stringer so work momentarily grinded to a halt. However, eventually Bill Crook and Ryan Loerke were added to the roster, and the first incarnation of Spiritbox was born. With this setup, they went on to release another EP in 2019 named 'Singles Collection'.
Loerke ended up leaving the band amicably in 2020, and was replaced with Zev Rose and the new group went on to record a full length album set to release in 2020, however COVID halted the production process. In spite of this, they still released a single Holy Roller in July of the same year, which garnered extremely positive responses, earning them a #1 charting from Liquid Metal. In December 2020 they released single Constance and continued recording their newest record 'Eternal Blue' which came out on the 17th of September 2021 to positive reviews and charting across the world. During their touring cycle with numerous bands, bassist Bill Crook left the band, with Josh Gilbert quickly replacing him.
In June 2022 the band went on to release another EP 'Rotoscope' and then another in November 2023 'The Fear of Fear', with one of the tracks Jaded earning the band a Grammy nomination for best Rock Performance, which was won instead by Metallica. Currently, the band is reported to be in the studio with ex Bring Me the Horizon keyboard player Jordan Fish working on something new, but nothing new is yet to be confirmed by the band as of yet, however in interviews the band still confirm they're working on music to this day.
Style
According to a lot of different people, it's insanely hard, and stupid, to even attempt to put Spiritbox into one clear genre, and I agree. They incorporate styles like metal-core, hardcore, djent, post-hardcore and even some electronic elements into their own unique soundscapes that deem them their own zone when it comes to genre specifics. Both parts ethereal and crushing, Spiritbox has made themselves a reputation of showing all ends of the alternative spectrum in their discography, even as far as vocalist La Plante's vocal deliveries - with AllMusic referring to her vocal styles as spanning between 'gorgeous melodicism to tortured screams and shrieks'. She herself claimed that the band aimed to be 'fluid' in their sound, and continue with this idea in mind to this day. It's reflected in their music, incorporating electronica similar to that of headlining metalcore acts, whilst keeping their signature crushing metal roots in the heavy bass and downtuned guitar riffs.
Current Line-up/Kit
Courtney La Plante - Vocals
Mike Stringer - Guitar (Aristides 070 and 060 signature models)
Josh Gilbert - Bass (Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass among others - PRS/Ibanez/Dingwall)
Zev Rose - Drums (Tama Starclassic Kit, Zildjian cymbals - Vic Firth 55A sticks)
Discography - First Listen
On their 2017 debut, an EP of only 29 minutes and consisting of seven tracks, Spiritbox is the bands first venture into their musical identity. Opening track The Mara Effect is an easy listening journey of hard rock, with bouncing bass and relatively simple vocal delivery. Lyrically, it's diverse and contains everything you'd expect from a band of this calibre in their early stages. You get a real taste for both La Plante's vocal range, including her extremes and brilliant clean vocals, and equally the talents of Stringer behind most of the instrumentation. Her anthemic voice mixed with the ethereal reverbed soundscape of picked guitar and crashing drums before ripping into insane breakdowns is a style that not many are emulating in the scene today, and with this band proving this already in their seminal effort I think demonstrates their trend of blazing their own path. Tracks like Everything's Eventual and The Beauty of Suffering are standouts as both really solid tracks, but also solid flags of where their strengths lie musically. There's also clear attention to detail in this record, with songs bleeding between one another and keeping tight within their identity, whilst also staying fresh throughout the project.
2019's The Singles Collection takes what's so good about this band and emulates it once again. The sound is tighter than the previous effort, most likely from the inclusion of new members, and begins to bring in more electronic elements into their music. The opener Perennial adds scratching and muted effects to add an awesome sonic texture to the insane spanning instrumentation. What you really note about this record is how sonically complex the mixes of these songs are, and the thought of how many stems it must take to construct a track like this makes me physically shudder. The equally heavy Belcarra capitalises on that signature heavy sound with double bass drums and screamed vocals, doubling down on picked lead guitar riffs and crushing breakdowns. Lyrically the themes also become more succinct, and you can really feel the emotion and feelings behind the words and enjoy the pretty awesome lyricism.
As their only full length effort to date, Eternal Blue is a record that kicks ass and takes names in a way only this band can seem to do. Again the sound is more refined, sharper and even deadlier than before, and you can tell that this record was made by musicians who really felt like they had something to prove. It seems like everything has been dialled up to eleven, more breakdowns, more insane guitar parts and slamming bass. Plus, with all tracks being in the 3/4 minute span, the songs feel a touch less drawn out - it's Spiritbox in it's purest and most undiluted form to date. And those metal-core vibes I commented on earlier? Palpable on this record, with some parts feeling ripped directly from a Bring Me record. The sheer attack on this record is also so clear to see, with the drum beats being heavy and snappy, the bass walking and weaving through the mix, all tied together with the insane talent of La Plante. Her voice, both in it's regular range and extreme suits this style of music perfectly. Need any more proof we need more female metal singers? This band right here.
Rotoscope again pushes out into more electronic directions, but that by no means compromises the insane stylings of this band. Clocking in at only 10 minutes long, this record feels like a bridging point between their old style, and a newer direction they seem to be moving in. However, there are still brilliant guitar grooves, heavy hitting bass and more beautiful vocal performances. Sew Me Up sees use of a slower beat and swinging drum performance that really sticks out to me, and in this slowness you really get to relish this band's tight performances. Overall it's a stupidly strong EP, even if it is a short one.
Spiritbox's most recent effort The Fear of Fear is a testament to this bands awesome sound and their ever developing style. Each record in their discography seems to take some more awesome steps towards something newer, yet you hear those flares of where the band started. Too Close, Too Late has that same strong bass sound from their self titled record, but in this record it goes further again with verses being completely underscored by slapped out beats. Vocoded vocals can be heard creating texture behind the cleaner tones, drum rolls and fills dance in the mix and every damn breakdown feels like the opening to a videogame boss fight in a way I'm not sure I can fully explain. It's brilliantly made, and once again a brilliant evolution of their sound and style.
Discography Ranking
Eternal Blue (2022) - 8/10
Rotoscope (2022) - 7.5/10
Spiritbox (2017) - 7/10
The Fear of Fear (2023) - 7/10
My Opinion
Spiritbox are one of the few bands in the modern metal industry who are willing to grab their music by the horns and wrench it in any direction they feel like going, and that's something I really respect. Their sound has come a long way since 2017, but by no means does that mean their earlier work does not have it's merits. I love this bands sound, the ease at which they churn out insane riffs, meaty breakdowns and insane extreme vocals, whilst also being able to turn expectations on their head and take insane left turns that feel cogent and well created. There is a reason why Spiritbox are so talked about, it's because they're scorching their own path through the music industry and the metal scene, and they don't seem to have any plans of stopping any time soon. I'll be listening out for any new releases from these guys, and definitely enjoying and reviewing them on here.
Playlist Additions - Everything's Eventual, The Mara Effect Pt1, Perennial, Sun Killer, Circle with Me, Too Close / Too Late
Overall Rating - 8/10
Sources Used
Wikipedia Page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritbox
Aristides Artists Page - https://aristidesinstruments.com/artists/mike-stringer/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAristides%20makes%20guitars%20you%20do,integral%20part%20of%20my%20playing.%E2%80%9D
EquipBoard for gear used by all members - equipboard.com
Spotify for Music Streaming
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