genres: metalcore + progressive metal
Spiritbox have the rare distinction of coming into their debut album with massive popularity and critical acclaim. They don’t take this status for granted; they’re still very much making the music they want to make. Most bands wouldn’t take the level of risk that comes with having multiple entirely sung and entirely screamed songs on the same release this early in their career. The blending of delicate classical guitar melodies alongside snarling nu-metal riffs, soaring choruses, and a surprising amount of background electronic glitchiness into one coherent and comprehensive sound is truly phenomenal. While vocalist Courtney LaPlante gets the biggest recognition (more on her in a couple minutes), sometimes with reference to her prior work in Iwrestledabearonce, there’s plenty of influence to be heard from guitarist Mike Stringer’s former band, the underrated Fall In Arcaea, in the catchy dissonance that frequently pops up (“Silk In The Strings” excellently displays this).
Sun Killer kicks things off in foreboding fashion, climaxing with everything cutting out to a pulsing alarm clock and whispered vocals building to the first harsh moment – a crushing breakdown of course – of the entire record. Yellowjacket jumps in a couple tracks later with that electronic glitchiness, using more of a mid-90s electronica vibe than is frequently melded with modern metalcore. Architects vocalist Sam Carter has a great appearance here on both cleans and screams on a track that really defies traditional structural notions to an impressive degree capped off by an almost tech-death breakdown. Like many other songs, the transitions between sections can be abrupt and shocking, but it somehow never feels disjointed. This weirdness extends in both directness, with the more tech/mathy tendencies balanced out by tracks like “The Summit”, which outside the downtuned guitars could be a mainstream radio pop/R&B hit.
While much has already been said about how perfect Courtney’s vocals are whether singing or growling, I think it’s important to note exactly why their widespread acclaim is so important for the scene. It’s no secret that metal/metalcore is a predominantly male space, especially in terms of vocalists. While there have been numerous phenomenal female vocalists in the genre for decades, often those who have reached the highest levels of recognition were either highlighted through a sexualized lens or for sounding identical to their male counterparts. While this isn’t necessarily a problem if that’s how the bands and vocalists want to be identified, there’s no denying that having a vocalist like Courtney who resists classification into either of these buckets emerge as perhaps the single most popular and acclaimed vocalist in the scene at this moment is undeniably a huge deal.
Expectations were sky high for this album coming in, yet Spiritbox has somehow transcended even the loftiest predictions. Anytime a band releases nearly half the album as singles, there’s some apprehension – no matter how good they are – that everything else will be weaker or filler. Despite the revolutionary nature of a few of the previously heard tracks (“Holy Roller” and “Constance” are already leaving their mark on the heavy music world), I don’t think it’s outlandish at all to say that Spiritbox held back the best tracks for release day. Even the songs I was less sold on (I might be the only fan of the genre who didn’t instantly love the destructive “Holy Roller”) are absolutely wonderful in context. As someone who appreciates both a coherent album experience that elevates the material when heard together and songs strong enough to hold up on their own, I can confidently say it fulfills both desires in a way very very few albums do. This seriously is as close to a perfect album as you’ll find in 2021.
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