Spiritbox was a highlight of 2021 metal music, but if I have to be honest I didn't really catch onto the hype until this song dropped. Before this, they just seemed like another innovative metalcore band, but this song cemented their status in my mind as one of the best. It's just perfect in so many ways, yet so undeniably them.
The signature elements of Spiritbox are everywhere in the song, Mike Stringer's iconic clean lead ambient riffs alongside low, bendy riffs, and Courtney LaPlante's unmistakable holy cleans and powerful screams. Granted, there's nothing too special about the song structure, it is the classic metalcore pop-structure-plus-breakdown deal, but I believe that this song is about as perfect as it can be. They have their unique flavour of metalcore dialed in so well and they've perfected the formula with this song.
I love the vocal melodies and lyrics in this song. It's fresh and different from the rest of Spiritbox's offerings (although their music is definitely diverse to begin with), and it is so easy to sing along to. The chorus is catchy but in a cool way, and I think the small scream-to-sing ratio actually helps the song, as much as I love her uncleans.
The whole song has a very airy, ethereal feel to it, with a subtle monumental tone to it. The song has this passionate atmosphere to it that simultaneously feels complete on its own, and also as if it's building up to something. Especially with the very first callout "Cut down the altar", they set up the suspense for the rest of the track.
The breakdown and pre-breakdown callout has a bold impact like no other. Pure ambience leading up to Courtney's screams acccompanied by low chugs, could not be building suspense any quicker. The callout is one of the coolest lines I've ever heard in metalcore ever, and it has such a god complex to it that I can't help but love. The breakdown riff is amazing, it's one of those variety breakdowns that mix in a lot of fanciful sounds to spice up the headbanging, like Gojira scrapes, harmonics and scratching. I love how they slide into the breakdown with Courtney's screams overlapping into the start of the breakdown, it just makes the breakdown hit even harder.
I love what they did with the final chorus. I know it's not unusual for the final chorus to be modified, but I love how much extra flair they added to it. A more intense drum pattern, more grit in the clean singing, and throwing in the breakdown again at the end just to wrap it all up. The way she sings "watching me as" in the final lines gives me goosebumps, it's unreal.
I just love how cool this song is, it feels like it embodies what it means to have a god complex, both in lyrical sentiment and in sonic design. I don't think I can fully put into words what about this song I love so much, it's just that it seems to resonate with me intensely. It is my favourite song of 2021, and that's all I really need to say about it.
Rating: 5/5
"Eternal Blue" Album Cover