Spiritbox
The Fear of Fear


4.0
excellent

Review

by SaiseiTunes CONTRIBUTOR (29 Reviews)
November 13th, 2023 | 175 replies


Release Date: 11/03/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Eternal Blue 2, but tighter

It’s been a banner couple of years for Spiritbox. Whether or not you love or hate their new direction, it’s impossible to ignore how their alt-metalcore full-length Eternal Blue blew up the metalcore world. And while Rotoscope has its fair share of detractors, in the humble opinion of this random music listener, it did a pretty good job at extending Eternal Blue’s melodic sensibilities into a catchy, yet still plenty heavy EP. And when “Jaded” dropped in August, all eyes were once again on the Canadian collective as we waited to see how their new EP The Fear of Fear would stack up. Things looked promising, but would they deliver?

In short, yes, they would and they did. The Fear of Fear is the stronger follow-up to Eternal Blue, tightening up the band’s blend of aggression and atmosphere into a short-but-sweet 6-song package. “Cellar Door” and “Angel Eyes” bring the heavy for anyone who missed the djentyness that was missing from Rotoscope, cuts like “Ultraviolet” and “Too Close / Too Late” put full emphasis on Courtney LaPlante’s damn near angelic cleans, and EP highlight “Jaded” brings it all together for a stunning track that comes all too soon in the tracklist. Even lead single “The Void”, which was viewed with a level of worry upon its release, sounds much better in the EP’s context (though I was already a fan of the song before the EP was announced, so I admit bias there).

It’s not entirely perfect, “Too Close / Too Late” does feel like a small stumbling block when placed between behemoths like “Jaded” and “Angel Eyes”, and your mileage will vary heavily on whether or not “The Void” is a good melodic Spiritbox track, but this EP is a strong statement from an already pretty strong band nonetheless. The sky’s the limit at this point, and if Spiritbox can take this EP’s success and find a way to translate it to LP 2, I can only see them going up.



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user ratings (277)
3.6
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
AnimalForce1
Contributing Reviewer
November 13th 2023


1015 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm surprised nobody gave this a full review yet TBH

TheTripP
November 13th 2023


4674 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

short and sweet review, lovely

AnimalForce1
Contributing Reviewer
November 13th 2023


1015 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Thank you! My first time doing a shorter review like this. It's kinda fun to do for EPs

artiswar
November 13th 2023


14801 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

great summary, I agree. Jaded and Ultraviolet are top-tier

bigweinerdon
November 13th 2023


2738 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Dece little EP

pizzamachine
November 13th 2023


27680 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Is good

bellovddd
November 14th 2023


6847 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

was hoping for some backups from Josh, would sound nice with Courtney

artiswar
November 14th 2023


14801 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

the chorus of the Void would like a word with you

bellovddd
November 14th 2023


6847 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

I need moreeeeeeeeeeee

artiswar
November 14th 2023


14801 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I would be surprised if he doesn't sing more in the future

pizzamachine
November 14th 2023


27680 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I would be surprised if I don’t rate this higher after more than one listen

Gnocchi
Staff Reviewer
November 14th 2023


18262 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

I thought this was a tight, tidy EP to be honest.

nash1311
November 14th 2023


8664 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Finally, a review thread where I can fawn over this

nash1311
November 14th 2023


8664 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

*fawns*

bellovddd
November 14th 2023


6847 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

ye this is getting better with each listen.

artiswar
November 14th 2023


14801 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

The heavy tracks make this kind of jarring and the melodic ones outshine them but other than that this is kind of peak SB

William21
November 14th 2023


923 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I dig the balance of heavy and melodic songs here tbh

SteakByrnes
November 14th 2023


30398 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

idk what everybody's problems are with the heavy tracks, they go hard

Zackkkk
November 14th 2023


187 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

I enjoy how the songs blend into each other pretty seamlessly. Also, I love the fact that they made some of their heaviest material to date and put it on this. Just when people thought they might be going a little "soft". I feel like Mike Stringer has kind of perfected the way to make intricate music sound more accessible. There is a lot of subtle technicalities to his writing that's very special.

Zackkkk
November 14th 2023


187 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

I enjoy how the songs blend into each other pretty seamlessly. Also, I love the fact that they made some of their heaviest material to date and put it on this. Just when people thought they might be going a little "soft". I feel like Mike Stringer has kind of perfected the way to make intricate music sound more accessible. There is a lot of subtle technicalities to his writing that's very special.



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