When vocalist Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Mike Stringer left the metalcore band Iwrestledabearonce to form their own group in the mid-2010s, no one expected such a massive reception to the music they would soon create. After a mediocre turnout with their first EP and singles, Spiritbox suddenly skyrocketed to the most wide-reaching new metal band while a debut studio album was still over a year away. Here are the highlights that define this growing heavy metal phenomenon.
The early promise of Spiritbox was made widely known in 2019 when the band coalesced its atmospheric moodiness into more aggressive singles like “Rule of Nines” and catchy melodic numbers like “Blessed Be.”
Their first charting single and most popular track came during the pandemic in 2020 when an even greater emphasis on aggression captivated audiences looking for a hardcore outlet. “Holy Roller” continues to stand out due to its combination of all the band’s trademark sounds, including heavy downtuned riffs, growls, atmosphere, electronics, and simultaneously progressive and classic songwriting structure.
“Holy Roller” was followed by two singles that charted #1 on the US Hard Rock Digital Chart. “Constance” and “Circle With Me” again found melody to add to the Spiritbox sound, increasing the genre fluidity that was now fully established.
Eternal Blue completed the promise made by five total singles from Spiritbox. Armed with even more progressive atmosphere and catchiness than before, the singles were further propped up by great deep cuts like the single-worthy “Yellowjacket,” the “Constance”-evoking title track, and another riffs-plus-electronic-noise masterpiece “Hurt You.”
Check out the short but dense discography of Spiritbox on all streaming services, with their one studio album Eternal Blue being a great place to start.