SPIRITBOX - ETERNAL BLUE
Eternal Blue is a fresh and wholly ethereal debut from Canada’s hottest new metal exports, Spiritbox.
If you’ve checked in with any alternative music outlets over the past year then there’s a good chance you’ll already recognise the name, however last July when the formidable onslaught which is the band’s single “Holy Roller” dropped is undoubtedly the moment that Spiritbox collectively put the scene on notice.
It’s of little wonder then that the Vancouver three-piece, led by songwriting mastermind Courtney LaPlante and husband Mike Stringer (formerly of metalcore outfit Iwrestledabearonce), have garnered perhaps the most fan hype for any release in recent years - upon settling down to listen to their fully fleshed debut it’s immediately clear why: Spiritbox have got it.
Opener ‘Sun Killer’ awakens up your ears to what Spiritbox possess that so many others are still desperate to find, their individual power to swerve you from beat to beat and quickly lets you peer into LaPlante’s vocal prowess over a synth-metalcore entrance that bleeds into the horror-esque riffs and anthemic choruses of latest single, “Hurt You”.
Twisting you through Eternal Blue’s vast stylistic journey once again are tracks such as the highly anticipated ‘Yellowjacket’, a face-smashing industrial collab with vocalist Sam Carter of Brighton-based giants Architects followed immediately by ‘The Summit’, arguably the lightest track of the entire debut which dances with the bouncy guitars more commonly found on a pop-punk classic before previous single ‘Secret Garden’ makes its presence fully known.
Allowing little room for a breather, the technically dense ‘Silk In The Strings’ marrying cutting riffs with LaPlante’s death-roars feel like a catchy sucker punch to the gut that you’ll come back to over and over, title track “Eternal Blue” is completely gorgeous as it delicately encapsulates you and allows for the feeling of slowly falling backwards into a rabbit hole by Spiritbox’s design, where the rest of Eternal Blue lies in wait to show you all of the surprises it still has to be found.
Hidden amongst such blistering blasters lies the electro-pop Halsey-esque beats, floating vocals and pure effervescence of ‘We Live In A Strange World’ leading into equally exquisite ‘Halcyon’ before hauntingly diaphanous second single, ‘Circle With Me’ begins to draw the curtain down with definitive purpose.
A fitting but by no means whisper of a closer, Eternal Blue’s swansong ‘Constance’ wistfully encapsulates everything you feel during those moments of deep loss and despair from the unique perspective of LaPlante, who channels her heart-breaking vocals into lyrics you’ll want to cling onto whilst simultaneously singing at the top of your lungs.
Aristotle once said, “where your talents and the world's needs cross, there lies your vocation” and Spiritbox have truly found themselves here. Eternal Blue is not only an instant classic you’ll wish you had the chance to hear for the first time again for decades to come and genuine musical masterclass in soulful storytelling, it effortlessly cements itself into the hearts of everyone who hears it and expertly declares Spiritbox as the new face of modern metal.
Chelsea Cochrane
★★★★☆