Spiritbox part ways with bassist Bill Crook

Spiritbox have announced the departure of bass guitar player Bill Crook.

“We are saddened to announce that Bill Crook will no longer be in Spiritbox,” the band write in a new statement on social media. “The decision was mutual and with no hard feelings. We ask that you respect his privacy on the matter and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Josh Gilbert – who recently departed San Diego metalcore outfit As I Lay Dying – will fill the void left by Crook for Spiritbox's upcoming shows. “We would like to thank Josh Gilbert for giving us his time on such short notice to fill in with us,” the band add.

Spiritbox's debut album Eternal Blue arrived last year, and with it came plenty of standout electric guitar work from resident axe-slinger Mike Stringer. The riff from its penultimate track, Circle With Me, even landed a spot on Guitar World's reader-voted 10 best guitar riffs of 2021.

And in an interview with Guitar World earlier this year, Stringer offered further insight into how he would construct guitar parts for the album.

“Being in a melodic band, the singing is so important – it's probably the most important aspect,” he said. “I think for the most part I try to keep the chords as simple as possible, and then where I try to push things is in the layering.”

Stringer added that an F# tuning was the sweet spot for his Aristides baritone 7-string during recording. “You kinda get the best of both worlds, where you have that low end and that low register, but then the rest isn't too floppy or too low for a singing part.”

Spiritbox are currently undertaking a string of European tour dates, in which they'll hit France, Germany, Italy and more, before embarking on a US tour from July 14. For a full list of dates, head to the band's website.