2021 was an insane year for metalcore. Bands like Holding Absence, Architects, and LANDMVRKS all dropped terrific albums. Among all of them was Vancouver Island band, Spiritbox.
Spiritbox had been lurking quietly in the shadows for a few years, releasing an EP in 2017 and a singles collection in 2019.
It wasn’t until mid-2020 when they garnered a lot of attention. They released a destructive, relentlessly heavy song titled “Holy Roller.” They followed that up with “Constance” in December that same year.
Constance was a total 180 from Holy Roller. The song was a tribute to lead singer Courtney Laplante’s grandmother, who passed away in 2020, and Courtney couldn’t say a proper goodbye to her due to COVID-19 restrictions that were in place at the time.
The song also had a beautiful and tragic music video, which featured very accurate depictions of what it’s like to have dementia and/or Alzheimer’s.
After releasing “Circle With Me” and “Secret Garden” in 2021, the band announced they’d be releasing their debut album later that year in September.
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After releasing the album’s 5th and final single, “Hurt You” the wait was on.
After a nearly 4-month wait since the announcement, Spiritbox’s debut record “Eternal Blue” was released to the masses on September 17, 2021.
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Expectations were sky high for Spiritbox, as they rapidly blew up in 2021, especially after the release of “Constance.” The album has twelve songs and its runtime is around 43 minutes in length.
It was well received when it was released, and fans still love the album to this day. Singles like Constance and Hurt You are among my favourites, there are some deep cuts that I think are worth a mention.
Yellowjacket (feat. Sam Carter)
“Yellowjacket” is the third track of the album, and it is one of the most brutal and unforgiving songs in terms of its heaviness.
The song features Architects lead singer, Sam Carter, and he kind of steals the show on this song, especially during the song’s breakdown.
The versus are heavy and the chorus is catchy, but that breakdown… oh man, that breakdown.
Guitarist Mike Stringer does some scratches on the strings while chugging a dirty riff, and Courtney and Sam both let out brutal screams.
This song destroys everything in its path and it’s an absolute blast.
Eternal Blue
A complete contrast from Yellowjacket, “Eternal Blue” is one of the most beautiful and melodic songs on the entire record.
The title track, in my opinion, is maybe Courtney Laplante’s best performance on the album. Her vocals almost have a calming presence throughout the track’s duration.
Before the final chorus, there’s a breakdown which features a beautiful melodic guitar solo from Mike Stringer, and it’s the highlight of the track.
Eternal Blue is a song that I know I will listen to for a very long time.
Album Score: 8.5/10.