Watch: Spiritbox, ‘Constance’ Guitar Playthrough

Spiritbox hit everyone right in the feels with the emotional music video for their song “Constance,” which deals with the difficulties of watching a loved one endure various stages of dementia. The theme is one that is relatable for so many and, perhaps playing the song yourself on guitar can offer some form of catharsis, which is why we’ve partnered with Spiritbox to debut the guitar playthrough of the popular “Constance.”

In the video below, the look on guitarist Mike Stringer’s face says everything about the emotional weight of the Spiritbox track. We all look to music for some sort of release and the hypnotizing rhythms and delicate, heavenly lead passages are guaranteed to stir a number of emotions within any fan of heavy music.

Of the playthrough, Stringer said,

The song itself is pretty straightforward to play, but relies on a lot of heavy bending to get the hypnotic nature of the chorus/ending breakdown just right. Even though it’s a “simple” song, I still have to concentrate pretty heavily to ensure I’m not falling flat on those bends, or messing up the clean parts which if played wrong, are very unforgiving. “Constance”’s subject matter is very emotional and personal. Because of this, I wanted to add as many ethereal elements as possible which is why we have 4-5 layers of ambient guitars going throughout most of the song. The song is in drop F#, but at the end we de-tune down to F for the “breakdown ” portion of the song. This whole ending is intended to be a sonic representation of what it must feel like for someone with dementia, as their memories fade.

Late last year, Spiritbox fans shared their reaction videos to the “Constance” music video, which brings the lyrical themes to the visual forefront, and openly wept while watching the heart-wrenching scenes play out.

Coupled with the breakout song “Holy Roller,” last year proved to be a banner year for the band, despite their touring plans being cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. They’ll look to bring that momentum into 2021 as work continues on what will become Spiritbox’s first full length album.

Follow Spiritbox on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify. Get a copy of “Constance” here.

Rig Rundown

— Balaguer Custom 7 string “Growler”
— Fishman Fluence Modern pickups
— Played live with the Neural DSP “Archetype: Plini” plug-in for clean tones, and the Neural DSP “Archetype: Gojira” plug-in for heavy tones