These guys are definitely innovative and have created a genre that is completely their own. It's an odd combination of off-time drumbeats coupled with melodic, chugging guitars. And while this sounds pretty standard, it isn't at all. Sadly, this doesn't save Spitfire from creating one too many songs that plod along to the end.
This band has SO much potential, it's insane. There's innovation everywhere you turn in this album, but it doesn't have the maturity of an older band accompanying it. Many times, Spitfire will come out of a chugging baseline into a sick riff that'll put a smile on your face, using the bass to carry the riffs and the guitar to finish it off. Like on the album opener, the track immediately grabs your ears with the guitar cranking; then the bass lumbers in along with the drums...and then the song just loses itself. That happens frequently with their songs. The entire CD sounds like they started off with an idea of what they wanted, then forgot about it as the song progressed. This isn't to say that the whole album is horrible, but you really should listen to it in sections; trying to listen straight through is hard to do.
Nothing in The Dead Next Door particularly grabs you because there is so much to hear. Again, this isn't saying it's all bad, but there's too many time changes, too many melody changes, just too much to grasp. Timing on the drums, and sometimes the vocals, suffers. The mix is quite good, although the vocals sometimes get lost in the mid/low end.
The band musically sounds like a mix of Extol and Sepultura. The vocals are deeper than the common metalcore style nowadays, which is a refreshing change. They sing quite a bit in their songs, which is also a nice change from the usual "scream till you pass out" hardcore. There is variation in the screams, too, sometimes reminiscent of Zao, while others reminded me of Unashamed. The guitars squeal, the bass thunders and grinds, and the drums rise above it all, providing the necessary backbone to the songs. Spitfire is so close to becoming a hardcore powerhouse. They have all the ingredients necessary to become amazingly good. They're just not there…yet. The album makes me extremely anxious for a sophomore release, and from what I've heard so far, it should be awesome.
3/5
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #78Reviewed by Ben MengdenWith each listen, this album shows the intricacies which are the strength to this style. The name fits the band well. The vocals are aggro and fiery. Very mature hardcore vocals with enough growl and pitch to remind the listener of grind and death metal. And the guitar equals the vocals. Amazing changes... These guys will probably get compared to Embodyment about a bazillion times, but Spitfire…Art for the Ears 1999Reviewed by Marco PovervestHere's another metalcore product from the Solid State Records roster. Compared to other bands from the label, Spitfire can be described as a cross between Embodyment and Training For Utopia. It has the diversity of riffs that succeed each other from Embodyment. It has the chaotic structures from TFU. Sometimes there are fast parts as fast as the speed of light (like Embodyment) but most of the…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Justin W. JonesIf madness and poetry were to produce children, their children would be Spitfire. This trio from Virginia Beach doesn't sound very nice ... or do they? That's the problem with this album: just when you think you've figured out their style, the band stops and switches it up. For the most part, The Dead Next Door is hardcore music with raging vocals, scorching guitars, and melodic bridges. I think…Similar sounding releases
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