Spiritbox released the new song “Holy Roller” and its corresponding, horror-esque music video. The song is reportedly from their debut album, due in 2021. The heavy metal track contains multiple biblical references. They include, “Blood into wine, take my body instead” and “Born of blood/In seraphim/To grip the Nazarene/Crown of God/You wear it thin/To come and rapture me.”
The music video features frontwoman Courtney LaPlante lip syncing in a meadow in a floral wedding dress with a bouquet of flowers. Behind her is a wreath, which burns at the end of the video. This alternates with scenes of guitarist Mike Singer lip syncing in Gothic-style makeup, complete with blood pouring from the mouth, almost as if they were straight out of a horror film. Revolver describes the music video as Midsommar influenced.
LaPlante and Singer founded Spiritbox in Vancouver, originally as a husband-wife duo. They self-released their debut EP, Self Titled, in 2017, and recruited bass player Bill Crook in 2018.
“This song was never intended to be a single,” LaPlante said in statement. “We wrote it in January to be an ‘angry’ pallet cleanser on an otherwise dark, moody atmospheric album. Our mission statement was: ‘let’s make the most ridiculous song that we can.’”
According to the statement, the group performed the unfinished single on their European tour stops in March before they canceled the remaining dates due to COVID-19. After getting back in the studio in April, the group decided to record and finish the track. Dan Braunstein produced “Holy Ranger.”
The pandemic also influenced how the group shot the music video. They resorted to a do-it-yourself approach.
“Making a DIY music video is always a challenge, but creating one during a pandemic presented even more obstacles,” the band told Revolver. “We live on an island that was virtually shut down, and this forced us to be extra creative and resourceful. We borrowed a camera, made our own props, and Bill’s wife, Ashley, happens to be a professional makeup artist so she created Courtney’s looks for the video.”
The band told Revolver the video took two days. They told the outlet that for the most part, everything went smoothly and the experience presented new opportunities.
“Even though things feel so bleak right now, we think a lot of musicians are taking charge of their own music and visuals, and not letting this pandemic get in the way of them expressing their creativity,” they said to Revolver. “This is the perfect time to try new things and experiment.”
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