EP REVIEW: The Fear Of Fear – Spiritbox
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know who SPIRITBOX are by now. Having rocketed to the top of the most-hyped bands in metalcore even ahead of their debut full-length Eternal Blue, the now-quartet have shown stagecraft and songcraft to back up the hype, following it with last year’s three-song EP Rotoscope and now with another EP in The Fear Of Fear. Roosevelt-esque title aside, the reason the band have been so prolific is a steadfast refusal to be pigeonholed by the far more straightforward metalcore they showed with Eternal Blue, choosing instead constant reinvention.
Where Rotoscope flirted with garage rock and GARBAGE-isms, The Fear Of Fear takes steps back towards their self-titled and singles collection era by re-embracing more progressive elements and djentier textures. That said, there’s just as much fury as before; opening with latest single Cellar Door, the EP kicks off with the heaviest song the band have written since Holy Roller. Its near-relentless deluge of twisting riffs and contorted drums sets a punishing pace, but not one they keep up. Jaded keeps the churning guitar, but shifts into more melodic pastures with a towering chorus. That said, it ensures there’s a balance struck between melody and heavy; Courtney LaPlante gets to show her full range from softer, almost breathy croons as well as forceful screams, with the switching between the two in the first verse being particularly effective.
Fortunately, SPIRITBOX didn’t simply release the first half of the EP as singles, with the pairing of Too Close / Too Late and Angel Eyes being brand new. The former marries those serene melodies with some juddering guitar in a nod to their earlier, more progressive work, while the latter sits in juxtaposition to it with some trap beats and embracing their more vicious side again. At six songs with three singles, there’s not much that fans won’t have heard by the time The Fear Of Fear releases, but the remaining three unreleased songs are just as strong as the singles, offering well-produced metalcore that’s the clean-cut style we’ve come to expect as well as the ragged screams and ethereal melodies that SPIRITBOX do so well.
The key question to ask of The Fear Of Fear is whether this shows a band that are steadily evolving as they claim to be, or whether this is in fact more of the same. The answer is arguably somewhere between the two; it’s most certainly rooted in the approach to modern metalcore evidenced on Eternal Blue but does show more of that drive to move beyond its borders, just as Rotoscope did, though arguably to a greater degree. Whether it’s the use of programmed beats like in Angel Eyes or The Void, or the shifting vocals reminiscent of Halcyon, there’s definite nods to their past as well as new areas that SPIRITBOX haven’t explored before.
Rating: 8/10
The Fear of Fear is set for release on November 3rd via Rise Records and Pale Chord
Like SPIRITBOX on Facebook.