Having just an EP and a handful of singles to their name, you could be forgiven for not knowing metal newcomers Spiritbox. Of course, the band, who consist of ex-members of iwrestledabearonce (specifically, vocalist Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Michael Stringer), dabble in progressive and technical metal. One word to describe them more accurately might well be unpredictable, as songs like “Electric Cross” and “Rule Of Nines” show off the band’s ability to shift gears on a dime. While comparisons to like-minded acts like Jinjer and Tesseract might not be too far off, it’s clear that the members of Spiritbox are their own unique entity.
Take explosive single “Rule Of Nines”, for instance. One of the best tracks the band has written to date, it’s an explosive, artistic triumph of a song that has a LaPlante-led chorus that seems to float on air, before transitioning into explosive and heavy technical metal that might remind you of a heavier Tesseract, with even more groove. In this way, taking risks like this really pays off for Spiritbox.
Meanwhile, more aggressive songs like “Electric Cross” and “Bleach Bath” showcase the duality of styles that Spiritbox are adept at. It’s awfully nice to hear prominent bass on these songs, as they aren’t content to just follow the guitars, but create their own unique paths. Considering the bass guitar is often neglected (to put it kindly) in rock and metal, this is a huge plus.
Of course, Courtney LaPlante’s vocals are really, really impressive all over the Spiritbox sound. While that sound is often hard to pin down, Spiritbox does draw from hard rock, the more technical and groove-laden side of progressive metal, alt-metal, and even pop, making for a varied affair over both their debut and the collection of singles they’ve released, too. One can only imagine where they’ll go next, but you can rest assured in knowing Spiritbox are progressive metal’s next juggernaut.
