THE FEAR OF FEAR

a rating of the new ep by Spiritbox.

written by Vincent Horror

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Spiritbox just came out with a new EP. The Fear of Fear. A perfect blend of their sound in one EP, from a callout to their older elements to bringing pure brutality.


I will be giving my rating on each song, starting with the ones released as singles to the new songs out on the EP. At the end, I'll be giving my overall rating on the EP.

Personally, I've listened to Spiritbox before and have personally enjoyed their discography. This might be a little biased ahah...

First off, to those who are asking...

WHO IS SPIRITBOX?

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Founded by Courtney LaPlante and Mike Stringer, Spiritbox is a Canadian heavy metal band, originating from Victoria, British Colombia. LaPlante and Stringer were both members of IWrestledABearOnce, but became very dissatisfied with their roles. They had parted from the band, got regular jobs, then got married, then started recording songs with their band: Spiritbox.

Their sound consists of many metal sub-genres, mainly metalcore and progressive metal prevailing in their sound. They have noted many influences from other bands and artists, more notably "Gojira" for Mike Stringer's guitar playing style consisting of a Gojira type scrape technique. 

The band members consists of (As of November of 2023, going from the order of the image from left to right):

Josh Gilbert

Bassist

Zev Rose

Drummer

Courtney LaPlante

Lead Vocalist

Mike Stringer

Guitarist

Now that we have that down...

THE REVIEW

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The Void

Very ambient sounding, feels like you're going through space in time.

If I were to play this song in a certain environment, it would be in a roller rink. Just imagine skating with your lover, circling around in the rink while this song is playing.

A very calm yet fast paced song. They really emphasize their key element of ambiance, feeling as if you really are floating in the void. From an outsider's view perspective, this would be a perfect introduction to Spiritbox. It's easy to digest for someone that doesn't listen to heavy metal often and the perfect song for one to ease into Spiritbox.

Overall: 10/10, very catchy.

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Cellar Door

A big jump from The Void's soft, ambient vibe to Cellar Door's heavy, creepy tone, it is easily one of the most heaviest songs that Spiritbox has ever released. The song easily dethrones Holy Roller with a more rhythmic, dissonate, angry, and heavy tone. 

It is a perfect storm, especially with LaPlante's unique screaming. The breakdown is literally earth-shattering, the low tuning is absolutely disgusting in the best way possible, it is just a heaviness perfection.

Overall: 9/10, very heavy, heavier than Holy Roller.

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Jaded

A much more calmer environment with still some heavy elements in within the song. This song happened to receive the most acclaim out of all of the songs. Transitioning from Cellar Door, it goes back into an ambient tone with a jagged rough texture. 

The song has a mixture of both clean and harsh vocals with a catchy, groovy, yet heavy riff and an overall ambient environment. Despite having no heavy breakdown, it still had a nice rough texture to it and gives a modernized 80's vibe.

This a perfect blend of the opposing forces of The Void and Cellar Door.

Overall: 9/10, very catchy with a rough outer layer.

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Too Close/Too Late

Compared to the rest of the song on the EP, it happens to be the softest. It has a very similar sound from their self-titled EP. It gives a nice comforting vibe, you could even possibly cry to this song. 

Also, weird enough, Jaded was foreshadowing this song considering that some lyrics here are reused. A very interesting element to add. The outro also seems to be foreshadowing another heavier song, having a more technical punch at the end.

In my opinion, a nice song to fall asleep to.

Overall: 8.5/10, very soft and melancholic.

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Angel Eyes

An absolute brutal SMACKDOWN. Definitely more technical, but rivals Cellar Door in terms of heaviness. It gives some reminders of Silk In The Strings from their Eternal Blue album in terms of vibes and flow.

An absolutely monstrous, beastly breakdown. Barely even a build-up in sight, the song just straights up attacks and bite. Both Cellar Door and Angel Eyes are definite tops when it comes to the heaviest songs released by Spiritbox.

Overall: 10/10, absolutely brutal.

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Ultraviolet

This song has a lot of pop elements to it, giving a bit of a mainstream vibe. This is definitely something you would hear on the radio on your local rock station. It gives a nice punch at the end, also giving reminders of Secret Garden from the Eternal Blue album. 

It has the same vibe as the Eternal Blue album, but is the perfect song to end the EP with.

Overall: 8/10, very mainstream, but definitely a good song.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

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The overall score for this album is a 54.5/60. However, I would definitely give this album a solid 10/10 rating.

The band had really shown off their skills in this EP. It had some great riffs, amazing clean and harsh vocals, great drumming, and overall great production. It gives a bit of a holler back to their older style but also serves with some brutality. They kept their ambient sound, sometimes even enhancing it throughout the EP. The EP was filled with surprises, Angel Eyes being the biggest one. The lyrics were also carefully thought and planned, really emphasizing on foreshadowing, connecting all the songs together despite having opposing sounds in each of them.

This EP was definitely executed well. If this isn't their peak, imagine what more they could do...

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END.