“There is a chain that I don’t believe in, there is a strain on the tempered ceiling.”
It’s been six years since Spiritbox rose from the ashes of mathcore darlings iwrestledabearonce with their stellar debut self-titled EP, Spiritbox, in 2017. While their early works were well-received by their then-cult audience, their astronomical rise to success and stardom, of course, would come later in 2020 with “Holy Roller” – their mid-pandemic rager that pricked up the ears of the metal world at large seemingly overnight. It’s easy to understand why, too – “Holy Roller” has a commanding and electrifying presence; a sense of energy and urgency perhaps needed in such a tumultuous time. It was time to capitalise on that momentum, however, and unlike many artists in their position, they somehow stuck the landing.
Their 2021 debut LP, Eternal Blue, was a critical and commercial smash on an unprecedented level for the band, and swiftly they went from supporting club shows, to selling out worldwide headliners, packing major festival stages, and even playing alongside the likes of Lamb of God, amongst many others. The shift may have seemed sudden at the time, but to those on the inside looking out, it was a long time coming. From the moment they debuted, the Canadian quartet showcased promise and potential unlike almost any of their peers, and harnessed the rare ability to truly capture the hearts and minds of many with their keen blend of progressively-structured riff frenzies, soaring melodicism and angular brutality.
Naturally, though, the question of ‘what’s next?’ becomes a common theme from the eager listening public and beyond; how exactly do you follow-up such a success story in a way that actualises and continues to push forward your legacy. Spiritbox’s initial answer was Rotoscope, a short, surprise-dropped three-track stint in which the band explored their sound in a few different, yet all equally intriguing directions. It was brief, but it was a taste of something more, and it left a remarkable impression.
Now comes The Fear of Fear – a record that stylistically feels much closer to a true follow-up to Eternal Blue than Rotoscope represented. That may ring a few alarm bells on the surface, the idea of crafting something so wildly out-there in the grander scope of your sound, then tonally winding it back a tad for the follow-up on paper seems odd, but now having heard the package as a whole, there is a clear-cut intention to what Spiritbox are trying to achieve with The Fear of Fear. Whilst Rotoscope represented a boundary-pushing expression of what Spiritbox could be, The Fear of Fear wholly embodies what Spiritbox are, and demonstrates an overall refinement of the formulae used to craft Eternal Blue. Six concise, air-tight tracks that not only showcase the very best of what they do within the bounds of the metalcore sound, but further showcase their growth and ability as songwriters.
From the get go, The Fear of Fear makes a declarative statement that Spiritbox are not here to pull punches. “Cellar Door” is an explosive, low-n-slow rager that shows any potential naysayers that they are just as heavy as they’ve ever been, if not more. The frenetic builds leading to pounding, percussive chugs toward the tail end of the track demonstrate just how refined Spiritbox’s ebb and flow is, knowing the key moments to inject ballistic energy, and how to construct the journey to that point in order to maximise the impact of said energy. Somehow, too, The Fear of Fear’s heaviest moments are yet to come, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
As we transition toward “Jaded”, the band’s penchant for progressive riffing and infectious melodicism return to the fold in full force, with an unmistakably wavy main riff and a barnburner chorus to boot. “Jaded” stood to be my favourite amongst the pre-release singles, and it still remains one of my top tracks across The Fear of Fear, embodying everything I love about Spiritbox’s more catchy and radio-friendly (with a huge asterisk) tracks. Follow up number “Too Close / Too Late” further embodies those qualities, being a groove-laden melodic masterclass, harbouring one of my favourite choruses from the band to date. Notable, too, is the first inclusion I’ve heard yet of backing vocals from newcomer bassist Josh Gilbert, who I had been eagerly awaiting an inclusion from as a long-time fan of his work as clean vocalist of his former band, As I Lay Dying. While his inclusion is somewhat limited, as nothing more than some simple layering and harmonies across the track, it remains a welcome effort that I would love to see more of going forward.
What becomes increasingly and notably apparent as The Fear of Fear progresses through its natural ebb and flow, even as early as these opening tracks, is the EP’s intricately woven narrative threads. While as early as the aforementioned Spiritbox EP in 2017, the band dabbled with interweaving narrative and lyrical themes across multiple tracks spanning a body of work (most notably seen in “The Mara Effect” and its multiple chapters), The Fear of Fear dives headfirst into adapting this across its entire runtime. Self- and cross-referential lyrics crop up in each track, lending to a sense that this is a complete and contained body of work with a carefully considered flow and structure. In this way, The Fear of Fear on a structural level feels much more closely aligned with the more overtly progressive tendencies of the band’s earlier works, but perhaps recontextualised in the more refined outer shell of the band’s work on Eternal Blue.
As the EP continues to build and progress through this narrative, the brief exploration of their more melodic angle as seen on these opening tracks soon gets cast aside, however, as mid-EP cut, and soon-to-be-fan-favourite “Angel Eyes” kicks into gear. Certainly The Fear of Fear’s energetic equivalent to “Holy Roller”, “Angel Eyes” is by far one of the most overtly aggressive and balls-to-the-wall tracks Spiritbox have yet crafted. Three minutes of blinding fury; with wildly angular riffing and groovy, dissonant chugging on its side, this notion is only bolstered and accentuated by its spacious, chaotic and atmospheric breakdown. An electrifying presence that stands tall with the greatest of the greats amongst the band’s discography, “Angel Eyes” is a demonstration, above all else, that Spiritbox still have it in them and more to craft exciting, dark and blisteringly heavy tunes.
Whilst it’s certainly true that the closing stretch of The Fear of Fear reigns in the overt heaviness a fair amount, make no mistake that a great deal of energy still remains on these tracks. “The Void” was the EP’s lead single back in April of this year, and has quickly risen to being one of Spiritbox’s most popular tracks to date. A pacey, bright and melodic track, “The Void” showcases Spiritbox’s equal comfort toward the opposite end of their sonic spectrum as they were with the wall of sound that was “Angel Eyes”, and that mastery across their broad palette is further carried into closer “Ultraviolet”.
The opening moments of “Ultraviolet” present The Fear of Fear at its most vulnerable and stripped back yet, with vocalist Courtney LaPlante gently crooning over pulsating electronics, building toward a climactic full-band chorus that naturally and instantly captivates the listener. With killer melodies throughout (only strengthened by more backing harmonies from Gilbert) and a gorgeous sense of atmosphere, “Ultraviolet” closes The Fear of Fear at the apex of its beauty and emotion. This all culminates with a brilliantly bouncy, and downright gorgeous Sleep Token-esque breakdown toward its conclusion, as LaPlante occasionally pops her head in to add texture and flair to an already-brilliant moment.
Truthfully, it’s hard to fault Spiritbox for much on The Fear of Fear. Whilst it stands at only six tracks, the EP showcases the Canadian quartet at the top of their game for the sound they’re trying to achieve. Whilst not as expansive or experimental as its predecessor in Rotoscope, The Fear of Fear more than makes up the difference by providing a refined and incredibly impressive piece of work, standing as one of the strongest releases of the year in the space they occupy by a fair margin. Given their more sporadic release strategies both pre and post-Eternal Blue, the question of ‘what could possibly be next?’ feels as pertinent as ever, but if The Fear of Fear is anything to go by, there is no doubt that it will be worth your time and patience.
9/10
The Fear of Fear is due for release on Friday, November 3rd via Pale Chord/Rise Records, and you can find pre-orders for the EP here.