Seven Stringer

Spiritbox guitarist Mike Stringer dispels the illusion of the band’s overnight success” while being stoked about their new album and playing to massive crowds

- BY JON WIEDERHORN

WHO THE HELL are Spiritbox? That's what gaggles of boomers and other premillennials asked in November when the Canadian quartet was nominated for its second Grammy in a row for Best Metal Performance. To the unfamiliar, Spiritbox seemed to storm the scene like a tornado through a gated community, emerging from blue skies to open 25 dates for Korn, collaborating twice with star rapper Megan Thee Stallion, decorating playlists with millions of streams and getting handpicked to play select dates with Linkin Park - all before releasing their second full-length album..

But to those in the know - including fans who've watched the band's 22 music videos - Spiritbox's ascent and their acceptance among the pantheon of greats (or, at least, their booking agents) is hardly a conundrum. It's the result of eclectic, accessible songwriting, out-of-the-box marketing and, yes, years of dues-paying.

Not only have Spiritbox been around since 2016, the band's main songwriters, seven-string guitarist Mike Stringer and his wife (then girlfriend) Courtney LaPlante, honed their chops in the experimental metalcore band Iwrestledabearonce (IWABO). And, on top of their two full-lengths, Spiritbox have released four EPs, the latest of which, 2023's The Fear of Fear, reached Number 116 on the Billboard 200 album chart and included the Grammy-nominated "Cellar Door" (as well as "Jaded," which was transcribed in our March 2025 issue).

"It's so funny that a lot of people think we came out of nowhere and were manufactured by the music industry to make them loads of money," says Stringer, days after the release of "Perfect Soul," the second single from the band's new album, Tsunami Sea. "That would probably be one of the worst investments from any company, ever. If you think of how long it has taken to get this band off the ground, it has been such a slow-moving process, and after 12 years playing in bands, we've finally gotten to the point where we can pay rent."