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“It’s 2021, girls screaming is tired” might be the worst twitch chat comment i’ve ever read lmao “yeah bro other girls have screamed before so now no more girls can scream anymore”

3:51 “I don’t think they really had a big breakout hit” Holy Roller: “Am I a joke to you!?!?”

That studio vocal video is what got me and my group chat talking about them. Incredible band, very cool to watch their growth!

I've been a fan since The Mara Effect. I'd say what got them big was three fold. 1. Fan interaction. They used to jump on live streams all the time and just talk to fans. They talked about their lives, made inside jokes (🍔) and so on. They've always responded when I send them messages and they have always been super grateful. In turn, fans will reach out to radio stations and influencers. Also, they tell their friends. 2. Awesome music, duh. 3. Reaction channels. The rabid fanbase (including me) HOUNDED reaction channels. Constantly. This got them a lot of free publicity. 4. They are super humble and nice. I remember a livestream where people started tipping (I think for the first time) and it opened a floodgate. Courtney literally cried, she couldn't believe it. Now the band tells fans NOT to tip them. Anyway, I think that's what has led to their success.

"Spiritbox, Daughtry, Carcass" Not often you'll see those 3 acts listed together

Hmmmm, "growth-hack" - old composer learning new things - thanks Finn

I think another incredibly smart thing they did. I know Courtney mentioned this in an interview, someone asked her why they're only dropping Singles instead of an album (this was some point last year), she said "Why waste money making an album that nobody wants". Essentially, they didn't waste their money either. Invested only into one track at a time. I think this was huge, because it allowed people to discover them in an easier way. We're very much in a single based world now, around streaming, and I think this was why Blessed Be, and Rule of Nines were huge If they dropped an album with those 2 songs on there, before they were big, I think it would've been easier for people to overlook

Eternal Blue is an amazing album. I've listened to it straight-through multiple times for the past few days. It's very diverse and satisfying.

I do think Holy Roller was their breakout moment. That being said they hit the ground running and hooked people. They are super accessible as a band, they in my opinion have some of the best merch right now, and their Patreon really keeps people hooked. They know some of their long term fans by name already and really seem to enjoy interacting. In a year (2020) where our ability to interact with other humans was very limited, parasocial relationships became something people clinged onto hard. Their music is just also really diverse and interesting. I am happy to see them succeed.

Spiritbox has struck a great balance of heavy and ethereal. Imo they are one of the best new bands on the scene, and they know how to experiment and push boundaries without sounding out of place. I think the album needs a few more listens for me to appreciate fully though.

Holy Roller was their metalcore hit, but it was Constance that put them over to more general audiences. A big part of that was all the youtube reaction videos of people crying and relating how much that song resonated with them.

Spiritbox's sound is not really my thing, I'm much more of a hardcore guy than a super clean djent-core guy, but hearing any heavy band succeed this much, in this listening environment, and economy is really exciting!

I think their first breakout song was actually Blessed Be. I remember a ton of hype around them after that song

Consistently hammering the base principles of success is the secret. Too bad most people dont realize the magic you seek is in the work you're trying to avoid.

This band did everything right from a marketing perspective. They did routine AMA's on KZfaq where they were just fun and relatable. They released varied singles that could grab all sorts fans from different markets. And they were just consistent. Like fan or not they really haven't released a single bad song.

Andrew Baena’s “best bands” was the first time I was recommended The Mara Effect, have been obsessed ever since 🥰

“Didn’t work for anyone else” and Our Last Night took that personally 🤣🤣🤣

I remember meeting courtney when they toured around Australia 9 years ago, got a photo with her and all. Super nice and friendly. I wasn't really into them back then but now they have to be my favourite band.

Been following the band since their early days. So happy to see them succeed this way. There was a great comment on one of their older videos that says *“Every time they release music, I feel like I’m supporting my friends band”.* - Totally agree.

I’ve been a huge IWABO fan since 2008 and the second album they did with Courtney on vocals is one of my favorites of 2015, but I agree that Spiritbox is better with songwriting overall. It’s just the right mix of heavy and accessible, and the scene needs bands with accessible songs just as much as skronky mathgrind. People joke about bands “maturing” a lot, but I think Spiritbox is a great example of metalcore that is both mature and exciting. Their new album is dope, Yellowjacket and Sun Killer being my favorites. So glad they’re getting success, it’s well deserved IMO.

I would say Rule of Nines was their breakthrough song. I also think that the reaction channels were another reason for their success

I'd be interested to know how their fanbase breaks down demographic-wise. I wouldn't be surprised if-because of their image and the fact that they have a young, attractive, hip-looking, female lead singer-they were bringing in a lot of young, new metal fans, people who maybe never listened to metal prior to Spiritbox because they never identified with the genre image-wise (e.g. young girls that maybe never found the bro-fest that is metal to be of interest). I wouldn't be surprised if they were generating new metal fans almost as much as they have existing metal fans listening to their music.

I fell out of metal for years, and Spiritbox pulled me back in, they felt refreshing to me.

6:48 Mike isn't even in the band at this point, however Courtney is wearing the shirt of his old band Fall in Archea during the intro.

Spiritbox has killed! I’ve shown friends and family that don’t listen to metal and they enjoy their songs. They are going to change the game.

Courtney also did some great features to help get her name out there: Darko, Crown the Empire, Make Them Suffer, and especially The Acacia Strain are standout names in their respective genres and Courtney is funneling at least a little bit of their renown/word of mouth towards Spiritbox

Agreed. "Holy Roller" had me hocked, but that "one take performance" video, that was it. Really good songs, that don't really blow me away, but just very, very likeable. And watching this, especially the live bit, reminds me of Cristina Scabbia, that is a person that will go on stage, smile at the audience, and literally everyone will smile back, there is just no other option. Just looked up the Billboard 200, and it's crazy just HOW different that is from the local album charts where I live. Iron Maiden on 5, We butter the bread with butter on 8, Rivers of Nihil on 15, with a bit of Metallica, Sabbath, Billy Idol in between...

The Mara Effect pt1-3 studio live session hooked me a long time ago. You can really tell how polished they are as a band. The brought all of that talent and honed skill to the table and gave us a great album. It also probably helps to have an identity as a band prior to going into the writing and recording process.

Last time a metalcore band charted that high, I believe, was Issues with their self-titled LP. IIRC, it charted at #9.

Circle with me was the first song I found from them and after listening to all their songs, I became a fan. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!

I'm not a huge fan of djent, and progressive metal can be a bit too unstructured for me, but I really like this album

Also, early on, they had more progressive/spacier music that brought in a lot of people with broader tastes before they transitioned into the more accessible sound they have now, and that uniqueness is still present in their current music.

What I would call this is, the "Gojira effect" which they just slowly built their fan base, based on their sole music. No band drama, no super hit song. No feuds with other bands. This band worked their asses off to sell out stadiums, while being consistent. Such as Gojira

I love Iwrestledabearonce and there's something HUGE that you missed. Courtney and Mike have been building the Spiritbox even before they released their first song. They used to do lives in Instagram kinda regularly and by the time they released their first song they already had a small, but dedicated fanbase. It really helped to lure the iwabo fans they had (like myself) and push the band on the early stages. Again that charisma thing you talked about is very true, we've tried doing something similar with my band and failed miserably hahaha

Perennial is another song they did that's very real and heartfelt. Between hearing that and Constance, I realized they had something to bring to the table that was different from most others in the genre. Not to mention they're not afraid to experiment with different sounds for tracks, leaning into poppy kinda sounds, then going with more ambient background sounds, heavier tracks, and then the more mellow tracks. It's a good blend that's overall very refreshing in an era filled with octane-core or "Architects"-core now. I also really like the mixing of the tracks as well from a production aspect.

I discovered them on KZfaq with Courtney’s live studio vocals for Rule of Nines. I typically only find new bands through Spotify algorithms or curated playlists nowadays

Back when She was in IWABO, when they first start touring she used to perform in a giant Furby outfit. Twas pretty dope.

This was a fantastic watch, I found these guys on accident with the video for the song "Belcarra" and have been following them ever since. They've been steadily getting better over the years.

courtney singing on scale the summit's 'land of nod' is beautiful, w/out the screams

Courtney's low key personality works because she's genuine and skilled. 'Genuine and skilled' is always preferred over a big personality, imo. I think most music fanatics are burned out on the over the top big personalities. Or maybe that's just me...

I'm glad your streaming seems to be going well. Always pumping out great content. Thanks Finn.

“Djent Billie Eilish” is the best way I’ve heard Courtney described 👊🏻😂 Also, her cleans remind me of Amy Lee which is quite the compliment. Many of my subs have said the same thing.

Think you nailed the analysis on this one. They just do everything right in a very simple and persistent way.

I LOVE her scream. It's incredible.

I first heard Spiritbox when Nik Nocturnal reacted to their Holy Roller vid. I knew Nik mainly reacted to metal, so that + the juxtaposition of seeing Courtney in the thumbnail intrigued me. When the first drop hit and Nik said something like "damnnnn courtney, you cant hit that hard so soon" I said "oh DAMN, that's her singing?" and was instantly hooked. Went back and listened to Blessed Be and loved it, then sought out their Singles collection and self-titled EP on spotify. There wasn't a weak song, and even in their early days you could hear their potential, with the mix of prog, djent, and courtneys mix of clean/screams. They have only gotten better. Tighter production, really finding their groove, and their pure drive to succeed... They put SO much work in over the last ~3 years to get where they are now. and goddamn, Eternal Blue slaps

Eternal blue is the first rock album that I've enjoyed front to back in a very long time

Why do metal bands get bullied the second they get success I’m glad they’re a new successful metal band. We should all support metal bands resurrecting the genre

We just discovered your channel with this video, and it's AWESOME how you analyzed every aspect of the band, not only their music (obviously amazing). We hope to have the honor to receive a video like this someday. Keep up the great work and congrats for the 100k subscribers!

Solid points Finn!! Spiritbox is such a profoundly important band for 2020s metalcore, and it’s cool to see you do posi vids on djentcore bands even though it’s not your thing. 👽🤘

Their EP with the "effect of the mara" trio is not talked about enough. Amazing.

Spiritbox is literally my favorite band the last 2 years hands down

their insane success comes from this not being the first band any of them were part of, plus the insane hard work they did thru 2020, with raw real ass music. which ill be honest me finding them turned into a form of therapy almost as it really helped me thru some dark shit last year. They honed a sound thats unique and their backstory is so cool to me, because they really are more than just music creators they also produce all their music themselves. Overall, theyre just such a well rounded and wise group of musicians that it was a huge surprise when i first heard Rule of Nines

Been a big Spiritbox fan since discovering them in 2019. I heard Perennial first, and didn't pay much attention to it until I heard another song, then went looking for whatever else they'd done. Their music is so consistently high quality, and Courtney and Mike come across as thoroughly nice folks. The harsher vocalled stuff like Holy Roller isn't really my cup of tea, but when they're as good at it as that, I'll listen. Constance has to be the best combination of a song and it's video I've ever seen. I'm so pleased they're getting the success they deserve. Can't wait to see them live - I had a ticket for March 2020 in Manchester, 4 days after the tour was cancelled!

11:29 "She's like the djent Billie Eilish"... You got me there, haha A very accurate description. Billie and Courtney are simply queens in their place and naturally charismatic and don't need to prove anything because they've already established a more than good enough rep. They're both so grounded and give credit where credit is due. Just two very attractive personalities. There's more to them than meets the eye.

The Rules of Nines one take is what got me into Spiritbox! And I love it, always come back to watch it

Completely agree, they learnt their lessons over time, kept grinding out consistent work and now are professionals before the band formed, this accelerated their rise because they know what works and how to deliver that. When you have talent and industry knowledge you can go far, I’m sure they will continue to rise in the future

Hail Mary is a GOAT album. They peeked with that band and genre, this is more of a horizontal move to sound with a wider audience where they can flex some different muscles. And they’re sick so it’s working out.

They are on the same label as my band Paloma and it was amazing to watch them grow how they did!

When I first heard Circle With Me I was fucking addicted! Loved the band ever since

Super happy for them. They seem like awesome people and they make great music. I've been listening to the album constantly since it released. The funny thing about it is that I tend to gravitate more toward heavier stuff and Holy Roller was my introduction to the band, but on this album I love the chill, melodic songs even more than the heavy ones a lot of the time. They just do all of it so well.

Caught that Louder than Life performance, one of the best sets of the day IMO. What really got my attention is how humble and appreciative they were with the crowd. I heard a few of their songs beforehand, but now after seeing them live, I’ll do my best to support them as best I can. You always have to remember that starting from scratch is never a sure thing.

That same rule of nines home studio video is where me and my discord buddies first discovered them too. Was insta-hooked after that. This new album is so freakin good

They took their time with all of it which I think has a big part in all of it. For me a handful of albums that dropped this year over promised and under delivered but Eternal Blue was everything I was hoping it would be!

Finn woke up and chose violence.

The one take video sounds better to me than the official video one. I'm trying to learn to scream, so seeing her inflections up close really helps.

Mike the guitarist old band before he joined iwrestledabearonce Fall in Archaea was fire. courtney did vocals on the song motives on their 2nd album before she started doing vocals for Iwrestledabearonce.

My only complaint with the new album is that they didn’t use the version of Holy Roller with Ryo from Cryatal Lake as the album version. My god his feature on the track is fucking sick

I appreciate the shoutout and I appreciate you!

Thanks for showing my Louder Than Life video in this. It was a great show and Courtney has an amazing live stage presence.

Bro I love your breakdown of these bands and how well you do it. Your videos are such a joy to watch

This conversation needed to be had.

Liquid Metal did promote the hell out of Spiritbox going back to when Holy Roller caught on last summer, so that could also well be part of their rise.

I was an IWABO fan since before Courtney took over as vocalist and I still love spiritbox significantly more. Yellowjackets is also one of my favourites on the album

For me I love them simply because it’s good music from casual people. No statement, no drama, no political thing…just a good band with awesome people. I love following them, and they usually always surprise me.

I was a IWABO fan. N had to except this was the best IWABO I'll ever get again. I miss IWABO . Run it back 😞. We miss you.

Spiritbox success is exactly what you always talk in your video. Doing single to gauge interest and adjust their sound and when they saw interest and find the sound they like and was resonning with people they hit the studio and record a full album. its not overnight success they've been doing this RnD for 2 years before releasing Eternal Blue.

Awesome to get a full video on spiritbox !! I’d love to see a full video on ice nine kills after silver scream 2 comes out it’s crazy how big they have gotten another example of putting in the time and hard work and achieving success

Finn is literally the DJ Akademiks of the rock scene, I love it 🔥

I agree with what you said, but I'm going to add a little. Spiritbox and Jinjer parallel each other in some ways. Courtney like Tatiana from Jinjer knows when to sing and when to scream to show what type of emotion they want us to feel. Spiritbox and Jinjer write lyrics that are personal and you can feel and hear it. There are other bands that have great lyrics and haven't made it big, but like you said they're smart. I think what made both Spiritbox and Jinjer big is they both have female vocalists that can sing and scream and switch back and forth on a dime and they use their talents very wisely. 1. It's the shock value. I've watched people listen to Pisces from Jinjer and they are shocked, then they get hooked. It's like a gateway drug into the band. You can say the same thing about the one take of Rule of Nine. It was smart to bring those videos out so people can see and hear them sing and scream. I played Pisces at a friend's house and my friends were watching and talking a little bit, but as soon as Tatiana screamed, they quieted down and watched with their mouths open. Between the great lyrics, the musicianship of the bands, and them bringing out the right videos in the right order I think are reasons they're big. I don't know if they did that on purpose or accident? Maybe Spiritbox saw Jinjer's Pisces video and thought they'd just do a one-take without the band. But also not long after Jinjer did the one take of Judgement and Punishment. Not sure if that was on purpose either. I know Courtney and Tatiana know each other, not sure if they're close friends? Both bands are smart and I suspect other bands will try and copy them but few will succeed.

Spiritbox Kicks ass. This was a great breakdown of their success. On a completely unrelated note, I'm pretty sure the dude in the blue tanktop in the Louder Than Life clip was Jose Mangin. If Finn follows up his Nu Metal fashion video with a Butt Rock fashion, he'd check off the entire bingo card.

I can't remember how i found it, but i found holy roller, but then i found out that the vox was actually Courtney. Stunned me.

i was a pretty big IWABO fan for a time and wondered what they were doing after their second album with courtney, come to find her one day in a black and white thumbnail for the mara effect part 1 and i was immediately obsessed. i'm so glad they've gotten as big as they have. IWABO was a fun band and i loved that gift of death album but it did feel all over the place--- by comparison, spiritbox's refinement serves them well in jumping from their softer side to the more aggressive sounds. one song i think encapsulates that perfectly is electric cross-- i really hope they do that one live some day

I think look and being genuine is so key! I think that's what makes Parkway Drive so awesome as well. Not only are they insanely talented....but if you play someone their song and then show them their photo, it literally makes no sense. They look like surfer models from Pac Sun. And it 100% works cuz that's who they are

I remember in an interview within the last year or two that Courtney mentioned how dead-end IWABO felt. I loved a lot of IWABO, but she was honestly right, and I have a feeling they definitely learned from past experiences. There's even hints of IWABO on Eternal Blue if you know what to listen for, so in my eyes, it's a win-win. Spiritbox is a dramatically more musically mature project than anything we've heard in metal in a while.

Honestly another reason I think they got popular was because of KZfaqrs especially Andrew beana and Nik nocturnal. I remember they would always talk about them and promoting them. Atleast that’s how I heard of spiritbox.

Brilliant insights on this, Finn! I am big of fan of Spiritbox and of everything that you detail about them. Your points about the reasons for their success are very insightful and make this video a lesson that I need to watch multiple times and take notes.

There is no hack to success, hard work,! dedication and everybody in your team has to have the same vision, not one person can be there for a different goal.

I just recently got into Spiritbox like a month ago. I remember seeing the newer video where she has blue hair, immediately I said "oh here we go, another band with a blue haired girl" *cough *cough "Arch Enemy". I listened to it but didnt pay much attention. then youtube kept suggesting them over and over, so I watched the video for "Blessed Be"......very commercial but I loved the vibe between her vocals and the Djent'y type rhythms. I listened to more and now I am a fan. They are very diverse, a bit commercial at times, but thats ok. Two thumbs up. Thanks for the content bro \m/ \m/

Last one I remembered is when Issues debut album topped at number 9 on the top 200

Been a fan since Jan 2019 when I saw them on a reaction channel. I watched them for a long time. Very much a hard work, vision, fan interaction and perfect marketing. They have also grown in a very natural way. Other thing is the very clever on how the did an ep and built up on singles with fantastic production values. This is before the went to write an album. What I love is you can see the growth in the songwriting and personal musicians. Other big factor is they act like humans online

The Eternal blue album was a masterpiece in my opinion 💙

Finn, thanks for introducing me to a lot of new music. (You helped get me into Mastodon and Saosin). I’m gonna listen to Eternal Blue after this! 🐛

I heard circle with me and instantly pre ordered the album, its so good. Fwiw im a 47 year old classic 80s metal lover.

Spiritbox have set the example I hope to follow in my own musical career and they make me proud to be a musician operating out of the great Pacific Northwest.

I ran into Spiritbox in a Spotify discover weekly playlist back with Perennial, and it became a favorite song immediately. As I got into them I became immediately obsessed with the sounds they make. I know a lot of people were worried when they signed with Rise but even with Eternal Blue their sound is still lovely and intense to me. It really boosted my interest in women fronted metal bands in a way I haven't really felt since early Flyleaf and mid 2000s Within Temptation. She's so good at how she uses the voice she has imo

Spiritbox is a very talented band. Great performance on liquid metal was huge too. Followed up by an amazing album in Eternal Blue. They are here to stay & I'm looking forward to it!

Totally agree! Especially in regards to their tight song writing. Even their most proggy stuff on the album has something to pique the interest of the more "casual" listener, case in point Secret Garden with the amazing ending. My favorite song on the album are Sun Killer and Eternal Blue by the way

Lol when I saw "I'm da best mane" in the chat I reflexively said "I deeed it" 😂😂

I've been waiting for a Spiritbox video from you. Agree with all you said wholeheartedly and hope they keep making dope music.