Ben Beaumont-Thomas 

Spiritbox: Tsunami Sea review – cataclysmic throat-shredding with a side serving of soul

The Canadian metal band’s second album is an adventure in songcraft, from boulders of invective to ruminative, poppy grooves
  
  

Courtney LaPlante and Spiritbox
Glutted sound … Courtney LaPlante and Spiritbox Photograph: PR

To become one of the biggest bands in metal, you have to unite the genre’s various warring factions: these Canadian metallers have pulled it off by being cataclysmically loud and garishly poppy, and scored back-to-back Grammy nominations and a support slot with Linkin Park later this summer. Spiritbox’s versatile frontperson Courtney LaPlante can throat-shred with the best of them, yet suddenly dip into a croon.

Take the two equally terrific singles from their second album. Soft Spine is a jagged boulder of invective hurled at the fakes and sickos in her industry, smashing into a punkish chorus of screamed contempt; Perfect Soul is soulful, reflective hard rock with a cleverly multitracked LaPlante cleanly singing of the gulf between her public and self perceptions. Elsewhere, the aptly titled Keep Sweet is their poppiest song yet, with liquid drum’n’bass verses giving way to a groove-metal chorus, while LaPlante bobs on a gentle, ruminative melody through the otherwise stormy title track.

Their adventurous songcraft occasionally gets the better of them. Another foray into drum’n’bass on Crystal Roses is tepid and – weirdly, considering the heaviness elsewhere – lacks the ferocity and instability of true jungle, while the proggy experiment No Loss, No Love feels unkempt. The production throughout is heavily compressed, sometimes to the detriment of the low end. But Spiritbox often make a virtue of that glutted sound, especially on the apocalyptic opener Fata Morgana, which feels like crawling snow-blind through an avalanche of noise.

Listen on Apple Music or Spotify

 

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