Spiritbox, Loathe, Dying Wish

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Jonathan Weiner

The four members of the band Spiritbox.

Spiritbox

Hailed as a band that’s redefining modern metal, Canada’s Spiritbox defies easy categorization — blurring elements of prog-metal, electronica, nu-metal and djent with clean and harsh vocals from former Iwrestledabearonce vocalist Courtney LaPlante. The band has drawn broad comparisons to bands from Evanescence and Deftones to Arch Enemy and Poppy, and its live shows will kick you into next week. Spiritbox released its second album, Tsunami Sea, in March, and the band will open select dates for Linkin Park on its much-hyped comeback tour this summer. Liverpool’s Loathe and Oregon’s Dying Wish open. This one sold out in March.

media release: Two-time GRAMMY-nominated progressive metal band Spiritbox have announced their anticipated Tsunami Sea North American Tour. Kicking off April 3rd in Dallas, TX, produced by Live Nation, the 24-date tour will hit cities across the U.S. and Canada with Loathe and Dying Wish as support. (Previously announced support band GEL has broken up.)

The announcement follows the band’s second consecutive GRAMMY nomination for Best Metal Performance (“Cellar Door”) which no woman has ever won this sole category. The tour announcement also follows the reveal of their anticipated sophomore album, Tsunami Sea, slated for release on March 7th via Pale Chord / Rise Records. The album's first two singles, the heavy hitter “Soft Spine” and melodic “Perfect Soul,” showcase the band’s dynamic range and their ability to seamlessly fuse diverse sonic influences, offering a glimpse into the depth and ambition of the forthcoming record.

For many artists, a meteoric rise can often mean a sudden plateau. However, for Grammy-nominated progressive heavy metal mainstays 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 #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 Spirtbox 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 US rock and metal festivals and were nominated for two JUNO awards, respectively. 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 US 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.

Portland's DYING WISH are blowing the door off 2025's hinges with the explosive video for the standalone new single "I Brought You My Soul (Your World Brought Me Despair)." The song was produced by Will Putney.

The song is truly next level for the band, as it finds singer Emma Boster reaching new melodic heights, while delivering screams that sound as if they scaled the depths of hell.

The accompanying video is frenetically paced, much like the song. You will find yourself watching and listening to it several times in a row in order to fully grasp everything happening in front of you and in your ears.

Dying Wish firmly believe that "IBYMS (YWBMD)" represents the band and its future direction.

"'I Brought You My Soul...' is written about being one of many affected by the state of the world we are living in," Boster shares. "Constantly witnessing the brutality and injustices has taken a toll on our collective mental health. [The lyric] 'I am miserable yet I am sane' references that being impacted by these tragedies happening in Gaza and on our own American soil in fact makes us normal. I fear that one day we will become numb to the events as they become more violent because we are so conditioned to living with it every day."

She also offers a short update about what's next for Dying Wish, saying, "This is the first step in the direction of our third LP and the goal from this album is to challenge ourselves to create something different from the first two releases. Throughout the last four years of those records we have dialed in our sound and ethos as a band. We hope that the artwork direction proves as an example that we're innovating our style to become the most authentic version of Dying Wish."

Guitarist Pedro Carrillo also weighs in, as the video is deeply personal for him, since he co-wrote the treatment alongside director Eric Richter.

He says, "'I'm fucking miserable yet I am sane,' with everything Dying Wish has ever done, we've tried to push ourselves and be as honest with ourselves as we can. Inauthenticity is the mind killer. Especially in this day and age, everyone is putting up a front. Everyone is faking it. Nobody actually believes in the words they say or spew online. The world is crumbling, foreign affairs [issues] are at an all-time high, and the bare minimum to be able to survive in this world is getting harder and harder to reach."

He furthers, "I am miserable but my family holds me together. Five different walks of life coming together in this exhausting cesspool. This video is my love letter to them and to everyone who has seen us at our highest and at our lowest. Working with Eric Richter was an incredible experience. Being able to hone in the feelings and ideas of what I see when I look at my band, how I look at our journey, and what I want to represent."

"He pushed us to never settle, asking, 'Is this actually real to you? Do you feel this in your veins?' These are the questions that would keep me up at night trying to write this video out. I think this is the most authentic version of Dying Wish to date. We are devoted to each other through everything that life puts in front of us."

Consider than the opening salvo of Dying Wish's miserable, yet sane era.