EP REVIEW: Rotoscope – Spiritbox
It’s safe to say nobody was expecting new SPIRITBOX quite so soon. After dropping last year’s debut album Eternal Blue that delivered on the significant hype surrounding them, the band embarked on as many live dates as they could in support of it, including recent appearances at the UK’s Download Festival and their first ever UK headline shows, two sold out nights at London’s Islington Academy. In between all of that, Courtney LaPlante and Mike Stringer somehow found time to sit down and pen not one, but three brand new songs; partly because they didn’t want fans to wait over a year for new music, but also simply to be creative again and to see what came out of them after they spent so long preparing for Eternal Blue.
The end result is Rotoscope, a three-song collection that builds on the metalcore template of their debut but also pushes in as many different directions as they can, without losing its sense of cohesion and identity as SPIRITBOX. Part of that is arguably LaPlante’s vocals; her voice, both her more subdued cleans and throat-rending screams, simply doesn’t sound like any other vocalist out there. But another part of it is a unique creative vision she and Stringer share that’s brought to life across the EP despite the disparate musical touchstones. Even the title, Rotoscope, gives a clue to the sonic evolution within; an animation technique whereby animators traced over live action footage to create realistic action, here there are new sounds and influences traced over the core SPIRITBOX sound to push it into new territory.
The title track is flecked with industrial and grunge influences, echoing GARBAGE with some serious Shirley Manson vibes in LaPlante’s vocals; that’s not necessarily a surprise as she’s espoused her love of the band a few times, especially recently. Those industrial and synth elements fuse with the grunge to make it a dance metal banger that’s sure to be a floorfiller in alt clubs and elicit the huge singalongs the band have already shown a knack for writing.
Sew Me Up is perhaps the closest to Eternal Blue they fly, especially its more atmospheric moments, but it still twists and turns anew in its focus on more ominous synth work. Finally Hysteria showcases another side to them again, its soaring chorus and low-tuned riffing nodding to a darker turn that finally arrives in the closing moments when they drop arguably the heaviest and most chaotic breakdown they’ve written to date. It’s absurdly heavy, helped by the aforementioned low tunings the the band are known to experiment with, but its slow hits and anvil-heavy percussion truly push it forward.
Simply put, Rotoscope is the most varied and adventurous work the band have penned so far, a refreshing change of pace from the polished metalcore that characterised their debut and the djentier groove of prior work. With the band now firmly established in the scene, it’s a relief to see them flexing their creative muscles to try something new and being more spontaneous in the creative process after the slow burn and skyscraper levels of hype that preceded their debut. SPIRITBOX are well and truly here to stay.
Rating: 8/10
Rotoscope is out now via Rise Records.
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