A spiritbox, sometimes called a ghostbox, is a device used to capture verbal communications from the spirit world by rapidly skipping radio stations and frequencies. Besides sounding very metal, the name Spiritbox also describes the band’s sound as they jump from rock to metal to Metalcore to djent to guttural to industrial to digital/electronic to groove to melodic to ambient to moody to Metalcore to pop to progressive to post-metal and other genres. Some of the reason is that Spiritbox is not the first professional band for founding members Courtney LaPlante (vocals) and her husband Mike Stringer (guitars). For example, both were in, wrote for, and
released albums with Iiwrestledabearonce. They departed to form Spiritbox. After completing a pair of EPs they released their debut album, Eternal Blue with Bill Crook on bass (gone) and Zev Rosenberg on drums (still there).
According to a Revolver article, LaPlante “first sang in an Alabama church choir” and “listened to Evanescence and vibed to the nu-metal she caught on the radio,” though those are just some of Spiritbox’s many influences. LaPlante says, “I have this fantasy in my mind where there’s this new genre of music that doesn’t make sense, but it’s almost like the parameters are pulled off some of the genres that I like.” “Sun Killer” is a moody mid-tempo opening track. The vocals shift from clean to scream in the final minute. “Hurt You” starts with screaming and switches to clean vocals. LaPlante is such a versatile, fluid vocalist it would be easy to believe the band has multiple lead singers. Alternating between an electronically-processed voice and harsh vocals, “Yellowjacket” sounds like it adds a third voice before the
chorus. That actually is another voice as Sam Carter from Architects lends his vocals to the track. That’s him, for example, screaming “where was the grace when I was begging for it?” With its slower tempo and clean, high vocals, “The Summit” sounds like an entirely different band. “Secret Garden” brings the tempo up a bit, but still keeps much of the ethereal and searching quality. “Silk Strings” returns to the screaming and thrashing. The pulverizing “Holy Roller” features some of LaPlante’s most brutal vocals. She says that “Holy Roller” explores “something more insidious, like the religious cultism of someone like Jim Jones.” The lush title
track of Eternal Blue pulls the tempo back again and drops the aggressive singing. Stringer plays a short but great solo. LaPlante recalls that she “was going through a really horrible, painful friendship breakup” when she was writing the song. “We Live in a Strange World” pushes the tempo up a little, but keeps the clean vocals. “Halycon” brings back the heaviness and “Circle with Me” continues it.
Closing track “Constance” is about the passing of LaPlante’s grandmother, Phyllis, who taught in the public school system for thirty-five years. Due to travel restrictions, she was unable to attend the funeral. She had promised her grandmother that she would sing at her memorial service. Her grandmother requested a “pretty song with none of that scary screaming.” “Constance” is that missing song. Constance is actually the name of video director Dylan Hryciuk’s dementia-stricken grandmother, still living at the time of the video’s composition (she passed in February of 2022). LaPlante and Hryciuk worked on the lyrics and video together as a tribute to remember and honor both of them. Watch the official video for the best narrative, but seek out the acoustic live version from 2021 for the full emotional effect of the music (You can also find a video of Hryciuk explaining the background and composition of the official video).
The problem with some debut albums is that the songs begin to blend into one another. Not so with Eternal Blue. There are many peaks and valleys and emotional states from song to song and even sometimes with the same song. Texture and dynamics are present throughout the album, but it does sound cohesive. Eternal Blue is a complex but focused statement from a band with much more to say.
According to Wired, “EternalBlue is the name of both a software vulnerability in Microsoft’s Windows operating system and an exploit the National Security Agency developed to weaponize the bug.” The title Eternal Blue creates a sense of forever sadness or at least constant introspection. LaPlante explains that key topics of Eternal Blue are “insecurity, anxiety and mental health — things that I think are really universal, [but] stuff that [also] makes me feel so isolated.” Those feelings are everywhere on the record. For example, LaPlante explains that the theme of “Hurt You” is “toxic codependency, and the feeling of knowing that something is doomed to fail, but making the choice to go down with the ship.”
Despite all the exploration of screwed up relationships, loss, anxiety, and frustration, there is a feeling of perseverance and dedication throughout the album. At points, LaPlante and Stringer were both working regular jobs during the day while making music at night. In a 2021 Billboard interview, Stringer says that “this is my 13 th year of doing music.” LaPlante remembers that they rented a house and “recorded [Eternal Blue] in a kitchen” with just basic equipment. Stringer says that “The reason why we’re here is because we haven’t quit.” Things do work out. This is his advice: “Just don’t quit.”
TRACKLIST
1. Sun Killer
2. Hurt You
3. Yellowjacket
4. The Summit
5. Secret Garden
6. Silk in the Strings
7. Holy Roller
8. Eternal Blue
9. We Live in a Strange World
10. Halcyon
11. Circle with Me
12. Constance