8 hours Ago By Ryan Ciocco
Hello, music friends, and welcome back to my series of music reviews, and keep on clicking, reading, and commenting! In honor of National Women’s Day having been Saturday (well, it is Women’s History Month for March, but still) the timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the next review that I am about to relay to you fine people. Originally formed in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 2017 by former members of Iwrestledabearonce, Spiritbox was founded as a way for vocalist Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Mike Stringer to expand their musical and sonic palate. And over the course of the past eight years, they have done so across four EP’s and one studio LP worth of material, leading us to their newest release, Tsunami Sea .
Does it continue the hype train that has been running for the band, or does it wilt under the sudden pressure of the public eye? To find out, feel free to read on! Spiritbox – Tsunami Sea Release: March 7, 2025 Genre: Metalcore/Alt Metal/Djent Band Line-Up: Courtney “Don’t Call Me Poppy” LaPlante – Vocals Mike Stringer – Guitars/Production Josh Gilbert – Bass/Backing Vocals Zev Rosenberg – Drums Track Listing: 1. “Fata Morgana” (4:21) 2. “Black Rainbow” (3:24) 3.
“Perfect Soul” (3:59) 4. “Keep Sweet” (4:03) 5. “Soft Spine” (3:04) 6.
“Tsunami Sea” (4:11) 7. “A Haven With Two Faces” (5:31) 8. “No Loss, No Love” (2:56) 9.
“Crystal Roses” (3:20) 10. “Ride the Wave” (4:53) 11. “Deep End” (3:47) Spiritbox are back with their second studio album in Tsunami Sea , which looks to build off the success of their first album, Eternal Blue , released back in 2021.
And given the sudden surge in popularity for the band due to the public at large getting to know them better thanks to this year’s Grammy’s snafu (hence the nickname for Courtney in the band line-up section), it would behoove the band to capitalize on that momentum. And I am happy to report that they do a great job overall on this album. Without stating the obvious or pantomiming atop the highest mountain, the band’s biggest selling point has always been LaPlante and her ability to convey every sector of emotion through her vocal delivery.
On tracks such as “Fata Morgana,” “Soft Spine,” and “No Loss, No Love,” she channels said emotion through screams so guttural that it would scare the soul out of your body. On Tracks such as “Perfect Soul,” “Keep Sweet,” “A Haven With Two Faces,” and “Deep End,” she channels said emotions through a delivery that would rival a Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, or Lady Gaga. And then there are the tracks “Black Rainbow” and “Crystal Roses” where, for whatever reason, she sounds like a cyborg and an autotune machine, not so respectfully.
While the instruments are performed capably, there are not enough moments where they really stand out. However, on “Keep Sweet,” Stringer performs an interesting guitar noodle past the three minute mark that is quite memorable. On “A Haven With Two Faces,” the liberal usage of synths and acoustic guitar create a sound palate that sprawls across the landscape, and on “Deep End,” they re-enforce the alt metal leanings of the choruses with some lean acoustic and slide guitar in the verses.
Leading up to the album’s release this weekend, the band had released three singles from it, with “Perfect Soul,” “Soft Spine,” and “No Loss, No Love” being the candidates. Given that the band had achieved Grammy nominations with “Jaded” and “Cellar Door” in 2024 and 2025, respectively, it does strike me as odd that, whether it was the band or their label, Rise Records, went with two of the three singles leaning into the Metalcore side. Nevertheless, the Sirius XM leaning of “Perfect Soul” was the, well, perfect counterbalance for the release of the other two singles, and not only shows off the band’s flexibility in their musical styles but also keeps the fans on their toes as well.
Clocking in a little bit under 44 minutes and spanning eleven tracks, Tsunami Sea manages to pack into it everything that has made Spiritbox beloved by not only their diehard fans from over the years and not just the scene of which they have been rising in, but the public eye at large. At first, it was nominations from “Heavy” musical awards, then the Juno awards in their home country, and then Grammy nominations. This band is clearly doing something right, and I feel like that will continue for a long time to come.
Recommended Tracks : “Fata Morgana,” “Black Rainbow,” “Soft Spine,” and “No Loss, No Love” 8.5 The final score: review Very Good The 411 Tsunami Sea finds Spiritbox continuing to hone their craft and to exceed the potential that they had mapped out for them. There might be the weird little thing here or there that sounds amiss, but overall, this album hints at how good the band can still be if they continue to play to their strengths and strike that delicate balance in their sound.
legend 0 - 0.9 Torture 1 - 1.9 Extremely Horrendous 2 - 2.
9 Very Bad 3 - 3.9 Bad 4 - 4.9 Poor 5 - 5.
9 Not So Good 6 - 6.9 Average 7 - 7.9 Good 8 - 8.
9 Very Good 9 - 9.9 Amazing 10 Virtually Perfect.
