Eternal Blue (album)
Eternal Blue is the debut studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Spiritbox. It was released on September 17, 2021, through the band's own Pale Chord Records in partnership with Rise Records. Work began in 2018 but was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the album release initially slated for April 2020. Spiritbox relocated to Joshua Tree, California, and completed the songwriting process for the album, which former Volumes guitarist Dan Braunstein and the band's guitarist Mike Stringer produced. The recording was finished by Braunstein in February 2021. Eternal Blue contains an array of metal genres and subgenres with electronic elements as part of Spiritbox's dynamic, while singer Courtney LaPlante employs both screamed and clean vocals. The release marks the only studio album with bassist Bill Crook, who left the band in May 2022. In advance of the record's release, five songs became singles, "Holy Roller", "Constance", "Circle With Me", "Secret Garden", and "Hurt You", all of which have recorded entries on the American Billboard charts. Music critics reviewed the album positively, who generally praised its production, songwriting, and musicianship. Eternal Blue proved an immediate chart success for the band, recording entries in eight countries and debuting at number thirteen on the Billboard 200. Background
In 2015, engaged couple Courtney LaPlante and Mike Stringer were members of American metalcore band Iwrestledabearonce. LaPlante had joined in 2012 to replace the band's vocalist, who had departed mid-tour; Stringer eventually followed as the band's new guitarist, playing on their final album Hail Mary (2015). Uncomfortable with being replacements for the band's previous members and desiring to pursue a new personal and creative direction, the two decided to quit the band in late 2015. After the two married, the duo announced their new project, Spiritbox, on October 9, 2017. As Spiritbox, the couple released a seven-song self-titled debut extended play on October 27, 2017, preceded by the single "The Beauty of Suffering". Former Iwrestledabearonce bandmate Mikey Montgomery played drums on the EP. Bill Crook of the pop-punk band Living with Lions joined as bassist, and Shreddy Krueger drummer Ryan Loerke became the band's first permanent drummer. The band shared five singles throughout 2018 and early 2019, which were eventually compiled into an EP titled Singles Collection on April 26, 2019, followed by the non-album singles "Rule of Nines" and "Blessed Be" in 2019 and 2020. The singles were all recorded themselves with personal equipment, although the mixing and mastering were done in another studio. Loerke departed from Spiritbox in 2020, and was replaced by Philadelphia-based drummer Zev Rose. The band members met Rose only two days before the group began performing with him on a tour that was canceled in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic after only a few shows. Following the album's release, Crook left Spiritbox in May 2022; he was replaced by former As I Lay Dying bassist Josh Gilbert. Composition
Spiritbox employed several heavy metal-based musical styles on Eternal Blue. Critics have identified the style on the album as metalcore, post-metal, djent, progressive metal, and alternative metal. The record was also labelled "post-metalcore" and a "nu-metal-meets-djent riff-fest". Near the release of the record, LaPlante defined Spiritbox as a metalcore band. LaPlante makes use of both screaming and singing throughout the record. The band's use of the digital synthesizer was a prominent aspect of Eternal Blue, displaying aspects ranging from atmospheric to industrial. This approach led Guitar World to describe Spiritbox as "digitally infused metal". In a post-release interview, Spiritbox said they were inspired by the 1980s pop music scene, Nine Inch Nails, and early post-punk bands such as the Cure during the album's production, and minimalist "airy" song structures characteristic of 1980s dark rock served as an important base to the music on Eternal Blue. Recording and release
The songwriting for Spiritbox's debut album commenced early, and most of the songs were written throughout 2018 and 2019. The song "Holy Roller" was written in January 2020 and they debuted the unfinished track on a European tour in March. The album was initially scheduled for an April 2020 release, but recording was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Spiritbox released the single "Holy Roller" in the meantime. In September 2020, Spiritbox announced that they had signed with Rise Records, as part of the label's partnership with their vanity label Pale Chord Records. The band started pre-production on the album with their producer, former Volumes guitarist Dan Braunstein, via Zoom. Meanwhile, several music videos were released by the band to promote the album, which proved popular among fans and increased anticipation of the album. In January 2021, Revolver dubbed Spiritbox's upcoming full-length release one of its "60 Most Anticipated Albums of 2021". Eventually, the band reconvened in Joshua Tree, California, to work in "their own bubble", which allowed them to continue writing songs and revise existing material together during the pandemic. The band set a deadline of April 2021 to finish work on the album so it could be released by the end of 2021. LaPlante initially did not want any featured guests in the making of the album, citing travel difficulties during the pandemic and a desire to prove herself as a capable vocalist without outside exposure. However, during the record's recording, Architects lead vocalist Sam Carter reached out to the band and offered to feature on a song. He would be featured on the album's third track, "Yellowjacket". The album was produced by Braunstein and the band's guitarist, Mike Stringer. Braunstein recorded it along with the band at an Airbnb rental house located on a 20-acre desert property in Joshua Tree, in complete isolation. Eternal Blue was recorded over a period of three weeks in February, and the process was finished by the beginning of March. The band sold 6,500 vinyl pre-orders within 24 hours of announcing the album's release date. Eternal Blue was finally released on September 17. Singles
Spiritbox first found critical and commercial success with "Holy Roller", released on July 3, 2020. The band teamed up with Revolver to premiere the single with an accompanying music video. Hailed as their heaviest song and "far darker and more violent" than any of their previous material, the song bears a theme revolving around religious faith. The song debuted at No. 25 on the US Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs and climbed to No. 12 six months later. The song's original version spent seven weeks as No. 1 on Sirius XM Liquid Metal's Devil's Dozen, and was deemed the best song of 2020 by the station's listeners. The band released a remix of "Holy Roller" in October, which featured Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake. The "Holy Roller" remix version spent five weeks as No. 2 on Sirius XM Liquid Metal's Devil's Dozen. On December 4, 2020, Spiritbox debuted "Constance". The song was dedicated to LaPlante's grandmother, Phyllis; because of the pandemic, LaPlante could not say a last goodbye to her before her death, nor attend her funeral. Its music video was conceived by director Dylan Hryciuk; Hryciuk's grandmother, Constance, was the song's namesake. She was battling the late stages of dementia at the time of the video's release, and the music video was dedicated to her. Described as an ethereal approach to metal and "the polar opposite" of "Holy Roller", "Constance" is a ballad which earned the band further critical acclaim from critics and the metal community, showcasing the versatility and variety of styles within the band's music. That same month, a Kerrang! reader's poll voted Spiritbox as "Best New Band". The third single from Eternal Blue was "Circle With Me", the final song written for the album. It was released on April 30, 2021 with its accompanying music video, directed by Orie McGinness. The lyrics describe LaPlante's emotional journey from feeling anxiety "about messing up" her music to empowering self-confidence. The song displays "breathy vocals" and melodies mixing guitars and electronic instrumentation, contrasting with harsher parts and a breakdown. In mid-May, the single topped the US Billboard Hard Rock Digital Song Sales, reached No. 5 on the US Hot Hard Rock Songs, No. 12 on the US Rock Digital Song Sales, No. 50 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and No. 71 on the US Digital Song Sales chart. "Circle With Me" was followed by "Secret Garden" on May 25. According to LaPlante, the song showcases the "fluidity that is inherent in heavy music" and the diverse metal styles of Spiritbox. "Secret Garden" reached No. 34 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in mid-August. During the first week of August, "Constance" garnered enough public attention to hold the top position on the US Billboard Hard Rock Digital Song Sales and reach No. 19 on the US Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs. One final single, the nu metal song "Hurt You", was shared in advance of the album on August 20. Written "during a snowstorm" before the pandemic in early 2020, the song explores the feeling of choosing to stay in a doomed romantic relationship riddled with "toxic co-dependency". Hryciuk directed the music video. "Hurt You" charted at No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs in the week of September 4, 2021. Critical reception

Critical response to Eternal Blue was very positive. Kerrang! reviewer Steve Beebee highlighted "dreamlike soundscapes" on "Secret Garden" and "The Summit" and the heaviness of "Silk in the Strings" and "Holy Roller" to justify the album being "the debut of the year [...] Eternal Blue is dizzying, cleansing and frightening". Although Alex Sievers of Kill Your Stereo said that the record was "[a] somewhat flawed record" which at times overused atmospheric effects, he praised its diversity, comparing the "crushing brutality, lethal pick scrapes and genuinely awesome heaviness" of "Holy Roller" and the clean, "intimate but powerful" nature of "Constance". He also noted that "Secret Garden" had a "nuclear-grade hook" and that it was among the album's strongest material. While Metal Hammers Dannii Leivers noted that Spiritbox's combination of "beauty and brutality" was not a new concept, she observed that the material on Eternal Blue carried an "emotional heft" that improved the appeal of such work. Leivers concluded that "Eternal Blue is a staggeringly brilliant record that resoundingly delivers on the hype". Owen Morawitz at New Noise highlighted the album's songwriting and musical versatility, particularly on the title track "Eternal Blue" and "Halcyon", as reason to believe that "Spiritbox's debut is likely to convert even the most intractable of the band’s (few) doubters." Outburns Nathan Katsiaficas also gave special praise to "Halcyon", which encompassed all the dynamics displayed on the album. He called the record a "modern metal masterpiece" and that the songwriting and musicianship on it created "an absolute thrill ride from start to finish". Writing for Rock Sins, Simon Crampton summarized his review of the record as "one of the most self assured, emotionally enriching and musically diverse albums of the year", particularly noting that the crux of what made Spiritbox's work so strong was their ability to "mix the heavy & heartfelt". Robert Garland at Sputnikmusic stated, "As easy as it would be to simply lump on the praise for Spiritbox’s debut [...] Spiritbox have more yet to offer, more growth, more great tracks and, if we’re lucky...they might even hit all that growth on a sophomore release." Steven Loftin of Upset Magazine called the "simultaneously familiar and fresh." Wall of Sound reviewer Paul Brown simply referred to the album as "incredible", and likened listening to it as a musical journey: "[it] connects with the listener on an emotional level and takes them on a journey of self-discovery, empathy and overcoming." Commercial performance
Eternal Blue entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 13 with 23,000 album-equivalent units earned  in the United States in the September 17–23 tracking period, out of which 19,000 were pure album sales. The album ranked third on the Top Album Sales in the week ending October 2, 2021, which was considered a success. The album had chart impact internationally, opening at No. 8 on the Top 50 Albums Chart in Australia, No. 17 in the Top 100 Albums in Germany, and No. 19 on the Official Albums Chart Top 100 in the United Kingdom, although it was placed at No. 8 mid-week on the UK chart on September 20, 2021. Eternal Blue topped both the ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Album and the US Billboard Vinyl Album Sales and reached No. 2 on the UK Official Vinyl Albums Chart. It reached No. 2 on the US Independent Albums chart and No. 12 on the US Tastemaker Albums chart in the week of October 2, 2021. It went on to sell over 175,000 copies worldwide in one year. Accolades

Track listing

Personnel 
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Spiritbox
 Courtney LaPlante – lead vocals
 Michael Stringer – guitar, bass, drums, background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 6, 11)
 Zev Rosenberg – drums

Additional musicians
 Bill Crook – background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12)
 Daniel Braunstein – drums
 Sam Carter – additional vocals (track 3)

Production
 Daniel Braunstein – production, engineering, mixing
 Michael Stringer – co-production
 Jens Bogren – mastering

Design
 Kevin Moore – art direction, design at Soft Surrogate

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Footnotes

Citations

2021 debut albums
Heavy metal albums by Canadian artists