Extreme metal is more often associated with dissonant cacophony than harmonious euphony, so it’s always surprising when the poster child for English phonaesthetics, the phrase ‘Cellar Door,’ adds its two cents to the conversation. While the majority of listeners might recognize the phrase from Donnie Darko, the phenomenon goes much further back than that and counts literary luminaries like Tolkien amongst its adherents. If anyone were to effectively balance the two poles of sensation, however, who better than Spiritbox? “Cellar Door,” off the upcoming EP The Fear of Fear (just in time for Halloween), does exactly that, meshing the visceral dissonance of frontwoman Courtney LaPlante’s impassioned screams (sans the clean delivery made famous on prior singles like “Rule of Nines”) with the du...
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