Since detonating into the global spotlight with “Holy Roller” back in 2020, Spiritbox have existed in that rarefied air where genre constraints feel more like gentle suggestions. But while Eternal Blue was a polished and often stunning debut, its stylistic sprawl sometimes felt like a band still deciding what shape they wanted to take. Tsunami Sea answers that question emphatically: all of them, at once, and better than anyone else.
From the opening churn of “Fata Morgana”, you’re thrown headfirst into the maelstrom. Thundering riffs and acerbic screams crash like rogue waves, while Courtney LaPlante’s unmistakable melodic finesse provides rare pockets of calm amid the chaos. It’s an opening statement that feels like being caught in a riptide – dangerous, exhilarating, and impossible to escape.
And it only gets better. “Black Rainbow” drags the band’s early djent leanings into sharper focus, layering warped electronics and ghostly vocal distortions over its mechanical groove. Then there’s the slick one-two of “Perfect Soul” and “Keep Sweet”, a pairing that delivers the sort of soaring, emotive metalcore that only Spiritbox can pull off without sounding tired.
But just when you think you’ve got Tsunami Sea pegged, “Soft Spine” arrives to rip the floor out from under you. It’s as venomous as Spiritbox have ever sounded, with Courtney snarling “You all deserve each other!” over a grinding, bile-soaked riff that could level small buildings. It’s here – and in later curveballs like “No Loss, No Love”, with its glitching electronics and spoken word passages – that Spiritbox‘s hunger to experiment pays off most.
Where Eternal Blue sometimes hesitated, Tsunami Sea lunges forward without blinking. There’s a wild, cohesive energy running through these 11 tracks that suggests a band finally unshackled from their own hype. They’re playing their game now, fusing atmospheric balladry (“A Haven with Two Faces”), arena-ready anthems (“Ride the Wave”), and even liquid drum & bass (“Crystal Roses”) into one continuous, oceanic swell.
Lyrically, too, Tsunami Sea digs deep. Water metaphors flood the record – waves crashing, tides pulling, depths dragging you under – all mirroring Courtney’s introspections on depression, anxiety, and the currents that drag us where we don’t want to go. But despite its often bleak themes, there’s catharsis in every crashing chorus and whispered bridge.
By the time “Deep End” gently closes the album, you’re left drenched, breathless, and absolutely certain of one thing: Spiritbox aren’t just the standout band of modern metalcore anymore. They’re the standard.
Where they go from here is anyone’s guess – but after Tsunami Sea, the only limit is how far they’re willing to push themselves. And if this record is anything to go by, there are no limits left.
Tracklist:
- “Fata Morgana”
- “Black Rainbow”
- “Perfect Soul”
- “Keep Sweet”
- “Soft Spine”
- “Tsunami Sea”
- “A Haven with Two Faces”
- “No Loss, No Love”
- “Crystal Roses”
- “Ride the Wave”
- “Deep End”
“Spiritbox aren’t just the standout band of modern metalcore anymore. They’re the standard.”
“Tsunami Sea lunges forward without blinking – a wild, cohesive energy from a band unshackled from their own hype.”
“By the time Tsunami Sea ends, you’re drenched, breathless, and ready to hit repeat.”
Source: www.antiheromagazine.com
