Courtney LaPlante Calls Out Overproduced Metalcore: Is the Scene Ready for a Rawer Sound?

Courtney LaPlante, the powerhouse vocalist of Spiritbox, has spoken—and she’s not holding back. In a recent interview, LaPlante voiced her frustration with the current state of metalcore production, calling out the “perfect crystal” sound that has overtaken the genre. And she’s right. Too many bands today are trapped in an over-polished, artificial abyss where every drum hit is quantized, every vocal is surgically tuned, and every riff is compressed to hell. What happened to the raw emotion? The imperfections that made metalcore feel real?

LaPlante’s criticism is more than justified. Early metalcore—think Killswitch Engage, Underoath, and As I Lay Dying—thrived on unfiltered energy. Sure, production was tight, but it never felt robotic. Today, many releases sound more like an AI-generated facsimile of what metalcore is supposed to be. LaPlante’s own band, Spiritbox, has managed to balance the fine line between polish and authenticity, proving that you can sound massive without losing the soul of the music.

The question is—will bands take her words to heart? The scene is at a crossroads. Listeners are getting fed up with lifeless, hyper-produced breakdowns and sterile choruses. There’s a hunger for something real, something with grit. Bands like Loathe, Knocked Loose, and even Code Orange have been pushing against the clean-cut standard, infusing their sound with a more organic, visceral approach. Could we be on the verge of a metalcore renaissance?

Time will tell, but one thing’s for sure—Courtney LaPlante just said what a lot of us have been thinking.

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