Review Summary: Taking a more mainstream approach from previous outings, Spiritbox delivers an album that makes them one of the best metalcore bands in the business
For newcomers,
Eternal Blue is going to be a breath of fresh air. With Courtney’s angelic voice and Mike’s guitar and production, there is a lot to love. For most of the older fans of the band, they’ll find the lack of cohesion and more mainstream writing approach to be stale and forgetful. I understand that sentiment, but still enjoyed the absolute hell out of this album. After a successful EP and a collection of highly praised singles, the band decided to take a more mainstream approach with the excellently produced “Blessed Be” and “Rule of Nines” singles. With
Eternal Blue, Spiritbox push that sound forward and delivers a very satisfying (though slightly disjointed) album debut.
“Sun Killer” is an incredible opener that incorporates electronics in ways none of the singles showed off. Courtney is easily the highlight of the track. Though we don’t get any screams until the final breakdown, we get a lot of vocal variety in her cleans. The guitar work is fairly simple, but very decisive. It punches when it needs to, and takes pause when the song needs a softer touch. I hear a lot of Evanescence influence here. The electronic vocal buildup to the breakdown is one of the best parts of the album and must be heard with a great pair of headphones.
“Hurt You” is a catchy metalcore song that gets better with each listen, but ultimately does nothing new other than rock your socks off with the breakdown. “Yellowjacket” is the only real disappointment of the album. Though the final breakdown is blistering, I would’ve much rather had less of the feature vocalist, Sam Carter of Architects fame, and more of a duo between him and Courtney LaPlante. Every moment Courtney is on the track, I’m pulled in and I just wanted more. Instead, we get an Architects song with better backing music.
“The Summit” is a mix of the two singles, “Secret Gardens” and “Constance”. It’s very melodic in every aspect, and I truly adore the chorus. Again, Courtney is the highlight here. If you haven’t noticed yet, Spiritbox’s secret sauce really is their vocalist. Not only because there are very few female vocalists in the metalcore scene, but because she is on another level than most (if not all). “Secret Gardens” maintains that melodic continuity adding beautiful work from guitarist Mike Stringer with some excellent finger tapping.
The heaviest tracks of the album come next in “Silk in the Strings” and “Holy Roller”. With “Silk in the Strings”, Spiritbox simply goes full brutal. The whole song is menacing, and is an easy standout. Courtney’s growls are center stage here and are only complimented by Mike’s guitar that almost personifies some old-school Oh, Sleeper. They don’t let up as the song goes right into “Holy Roller” that infuses electronic vocals with some of Courtney’s harshest growls. The lows are guttural, and the nu-metal, trip-hop beat scattered across the song is such a nice touch.
Bringing the slower side of the band back into view, the title track delivers on everything you want from Spiritbox. A strong synth in the backdrop melds Courtney’s crooning and Mike’s emotional strumming and chugs together in perfect unison. Again, Courtney delivers on an infectious chorus that reminds a bit of “Trust Fall” off their
Singles Collection. It's the best chorus on an album full of excellent contenders. This is easily one of the best tracks on the album.
“We Live in a Strange World” is another standout by delivering an incredible electronic pop track that shows the band’s versatility. It’s simply beautiful and kicks into high gear with the guitar midway through right when you need it. The intro of “Halcyon” sounds like it was ripped right from 90’s Trent Reznor, and then the guitar kicks in giving us an emotional song that delivers yet another chorus that catapults this band above most in the scene. Very few metalcore bands can deliver this level of quality, and it shows time and time again on this album.
The album’s final two songs are singles that have varied opinions already in the community. Though I love the radio metalcore tune, “Circle With Me”, I know it’s been the center of the argument for older Spiritbox fans that they’re going too mainstream and are selling out. I don’t believe this album shows this is the case, and the song has excellent lyrics about self-sabotage and self-doubt. The song ends with Courtney stating she will “claim [her] place as God” and finally realizing that she can change this mindset to help push her to her dreams. “Constance” ends the album with a slower pace that plucks at the heartstrings giving listeners a closer look into the pain one can bear taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. The swelling of the guitar with Courtney’s vocals has brought tears to my eyes many times since the release. The album ends with an emotional breakdown that personifies the pain and frustration of this disease for everyone involved by getting slower and slower and slower until we finally end with only some feedback and a faint piano.
Eternal Blue delivers on everything Spiritbox has built up to this point. Starting as a Tesseract worship band with their debut EP, the group found their stride with the following singles infusing a bit of pop influence. They ultimately pulled back some of their progressive roots for a more metalcore sound and delivered top-tier produced singles like “Blessed Be” and “Rule of Nines” that cemented them as one of the best new acts in metal. Though
Eternal Blue lacks a bit of cohesion as an album altogether, it doesn’t retract from the fact that these tracks are all great in their own right. Other than “Yellowjacket”, I think every track here is at least great. My biggest issue is I would’ve loved it if they added “Blessed Be” and “Rule of Nines” to the record. 14 tracks wouldn’t have been too much, and they would’ve elevated this album. Even though I know some of the older fans of the group are going to be disappointed with this album, I feel like it’s okay for a band like this to change some of their sound when they can do it as well as this. By fixating on their strong suits, Spiritbox gives us one of the most fun metal records of the year and shows they’re ready for the spotlight.
