SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SPIRITBOX – TSUNAMI SEA

SPIRITBOX
TSUNAMI SEA
RISE RECORDS

When it comes to metalcore bands that have defied the odds, Spiritbox is often a name that appears in that conversation. From their first album, Eternal Blue, Spiritbox became a force to be reckoned with, as lead singer Courtney LaPlante’s multi-faceted vocals and the band’s excellent execution of ethereal elements within a world of crushing guitar riffs and chest-crushing percussive energies began to redefine the very makeup of what a modern metalcore band should sound like. There was a certain comforting weight emotionally and instrumentally that would make Spiritbox a name that would become one of the staple names in metalcore currently. As the band rides off the success of their 2021 debut hit, Spiritbox’s creative potential is tested with their new heavy and volatile release, Tsunami Sea. A record that paints a levied picture of darkness and sadness, Tsunami Sea is a profoundly reflective wave of disquiet and unease, channeling these energies to create one of the most titanic releases in their still blossoming career.

“Fata Morgana”, “Black Rainbow”, “Perfect Soul”, and “Keep Sweet”, come in like a tidal wave, crashing onto a beach, then pulling back their force with a deep, emotional melodic cadence that swirls through “Perfect Soul” and “Keep Sweet”. Something that is quickly apparent is LaPlante’s willingness to venture outside the box with more heavy vocals within “Fata Morgana” and “Black Rainbow”, with fatalistic instrumental fervour that swims into more tenebrous progressive metalesque influences while still maintaining some of the metalcore framework within its breakdowns to allow these mammoth-like elements to collide into one another evenly. However, “Perfect Soul” and “Keep Sweet” gently lap their way onto its antagonistic shores and give a reassuring reminder that Spiritbox still cares just as much about clean delivery within Tsunami Sea’s rage-infested waters, creating some of the most striking moments on the album at this point.

“Soft Spine”, “Tsunami Sea”, and “Haven with Two Faces”, continue their relentless onslaught of hurricane-like heaviness, their squalling breakdowns blending with beautiful guitar melodies and LaPlante’s gorgeous cleans make for an intriguing listening experience that keep one invested for the remainder of the brewing storm that continues to breach through to the final remaining tracks.

“No Loss, No Love,” is a lovely little oddity that tests the creative measures with their use of electronic elements and spoken word before drifting into the peaceful currents of “Crystal Roses”, “Ride The Wave”, and “Deep End”. A set of songs that uniquely bring in dream-like, transcendent, anodic effects and a melancholic drip of pulverulent guitars that embody “Ride The Wave”, with “Deep End” signing the dotted line on another successful release.

There will be some who will listen to this second delivery from the band and find it repetitive, but nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, Tsunami Sea is an effort that embraces the grittier side of the band’s sound, however, when one looks deeper into what Tsunami Sea is trying to achieve, it represents anger, disappointment, depression, and the bleak realization of some uncomfortable truths being unearthed and painfully digested in that process. With nowhere else for the pain to go, such misery boils to the surface. Within its destructive, voltaic, spectrum, and multi-range vocals, Tsunami Sea is more than just a swell of “unvarying” ornery sounds. It’s a potent piece of songwriting, its assertive nature engulfing one’s heartstrings until one has no choice but to feel the irritation, passion, and emotional purging that surrounds this record. For this reason, it’s worth taking a closer listen, looking beyond its heavy exterior and discovering something more below its surface.

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