Grammy-nominated progressive heavy metal mainstays SPIRITBOX have unleashed their blistering new single, “Soft Spine”, available today via their label Pale Chord in partnership with Rise Records. Earlier this week, the band began teasing the song with a cryptic puzzle viewable at app.spiritbox.com, and postcards were sent out to nine super fans who leaked the puzzle on X (formerly Twitter). The new track follows SPIRITBOX‘s recent win for “Best International Artist” at the 2024 Heavy Music Awards and their much-talked-about European tour with KORN.
Recorded at Hallway Studios in California and produced by SPIRITBOX member Mike Stringer and Dan Braunstein (DAYSEEKER, SILENT PLANET, THE GHOST INSIDE),“Soft Spine” delivers an unrelenting sonic assault that is sure to satisfy fans who have been eagerly awaiting new music. The track showcases SPIRITBOX‘s signature visceral sound, elevated to new heights of intensity and musicality.
2024 has been a monumental year for SPIRITBOX, marked by over 300 million streams in the U.S. and a staggering 450,000 combined album sales. The band has brought their incendiary live performances to fans worldwide, from their unforgettable appearance at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas to a series of electrifying shows in the U.K. with nu-metal pioneers KORN. This summer, SPIRITBOX captivated audiences at Europe’s most iconic festivals, including the Reading and Leeds festivals, earning rave reviews.
Next week they kick off the anticipated North American tour dates with KORN and GOJIRA. Later this year, they will join British metalcore titans BRING ME THE HORIZON as direct support for a massive stadium shows in Brazil and Mexico City. In February 2025, SPIRITBOX will embark on their biggest European headlining tour to date, further cementing their status as one of the most formidable forces in heavy music today.
With “Soft Spine” signaling a new chapter in SPIRITBOX‘s already storied career, fans can expect more exciting things to come from the band in the near future.
For many artists, a meteoric rise can often mean a sudden plateau. However, for SPIRITBOX, there appears to be no end in sight on their near-constant ascent to the top. Formed in 2017 in the picturesque yet isolated region of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, by vocalist Courtney Laplante and guitarist Mike Stringer, SPIRITBOX would fully cement themselves as a household name in the summer of 2020 with the release of their blistering breakout single “Holy Roller”, along with a host of other captivating singles shortly after, resulting in a media firestorm of hype.
With new and existing fans eagerly watching their next move, SPIRITBOX exceeded every expectation imaginable in 2021 with the release of their genre-defining debut studio album “Eternal Blue” via Pale Chord/Rise Records. “Eternal Blue”, which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, kicked open the doors of the heavy metal scene and rewrote the genre’s playbook with 12 stunning tracks that incorporated everything from djent and post-metal to infectious synth-laden pop sensibilities and cinematic arrangements, brought fully to life by the inimitable Laplante‘s ethereal and commanding vocal performances.
The album cycle for “Eternal Blue” saw SPIRITBOX not only grace the covers of esteemed music publications such as Revolver, Alternative Press, Rock Sound and Kerrang!, among many others but would also solidify the band as one of the most in-demand groups in live music today with their one-hundred percent sold out, first-ever headlining tour in support of the album which saw ticket sales over 40,000. The band would also share the stage with seasoned metal veterans such as LIMP BIZKIT and GHOST and win “Best International Breakthrough Band” at the 2021 Heavy Music Awards.
In 2022, SPIRITBOX secured highly coveted spots at numerous major U.S. rock and metal festivals and were nominated for two Juno Awards. SPIRITBOX would also round out their current lineup with the inclusion of drummer Zev Rose and bassist Josh Gilbert in addition to releasing their sonically experimental EP “Rotoscope” in June of that year as well as a cross-genre collaboration with dubstep artist Illenium for the track “Shivering”.
During another whirlwind year for the band, including a U.S. tour with SHINEDOWN and PAPA ROACH, SPIRITBOX wrote and recorded their critically acclaimed EP “The Fear Of Fear”, released in November 2023. The EP features the single “Jaded”, which was nominated for “Best Metal Performance” at the 66th annual Grammy Awards. In the same month, the band would make another genre-bending splash with a high-profile collaboration with rapper Megan Thee Stallion for a remix of her song “Cobra”.
Whatever comes next for SPIRITBOX, one thing is for sure: expect the unexpected and a firm commitment to creating wholly authentic music with passion, purpose, and constant evolution.
Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner