If we go back to 2021, most of you were locked into your homes, thinking about how many shows were left to watch before the total apocalypse consumed us. However, that wasn’t the only surprise of the year. We got Eternal Blue, an album that put Spiritbox on the map as one of the new ambassador bands (bands that bring newcomers into the genre). Being such a band can deeply divide the Metal world, which is why Tsunami Sea is one of the most anticipated—and dreaded—releases of 2025. I’ll be honest, I enjoyed the debut as much as anyone, but I understood its limitations. So, where does Tsunami Sea stand?
If anything, Tsunami Sea is the same combination of aggressive pummeling and incredibly accessible melodies that Eternal Blue showcased before. Yes, it might come in a more hostile package, with increasing fury in every track, but it’s still a style designed to welcome people into extreme Metal, even if it’s not that extreme. You can play this in front of your Metal friends, and they won’t judge you too harshly—they’ll just say you have weird taste, but they won’t be calling a shrink to check you into a mental health facility. So, there’s that!
If before the vocals carried the band, now the guitar work has a more obvious role, but don’t get it twisted. This is still Courtney’s show. Spiritbox made its mark by being more accessible and having her vocals destroy everything in the band’s path. All of that is still true in Tsunami Sea. However, I can’t help but compare both albums, and since this is essentially Pop-Metalcore (and there’s nothing wrong with that), the music lives or dies by its catchy choruses and earworm capabilities. So, that’s what I’m judging the most here.
As entertaining as Tsunami Sea can be, I’m just not as hooked. Everything sounds cool and nice, but no song really stuck in my head. The production, musicianship, and performances are just as decent as before, but the writing isn’t as exciting to me. I do appreciate that the band has a clean sound but gets dirtier here and there. I mean, “Core” needs more nastiness in its production, so that was the right move. Still, just like in my Whitechapel review, I ended up feeling like I needed more variety to stay engaged for the full duration of the album.
Anyway, I didn’t want to sound like a basement-dwelling elitist trashing more “commercial” bands. We need acts like Spiritbox—they serve a key, one could even say, the most important role in keeping our culture alive. But I also believe the band can take more risks in future releases now that it has such a strong position and brand in the community. It’s time to go nuts, people! And we’ll be here to eat our words and support it!
Label: Rise Records
Release date: March 7, 2025
Website: https://spiritbox.com/
Country: Canada
Score: Fine, it’ll probably get a Grammy
Metal Eclipse Reviews 