Final Form - Spitbite (Dimed)

I don’t know where grunge ends and stoner rock starts or where hard rock is transformed under the pressure of its own sonic weight into heavy metal. But then again, do I need to, does anyone, does it matter? The only people who argue over such things are people who like everything neatly pigeonholed and staying on the appropriate side of some arbitrary line of demarcation. Where’s the fn in music that predictable? And you shouldn’t get so fussy about such things because it is only where such genres meet and merge, in the liminal spaces between the various sonic camps where bands such as Spitbite and songs such as “Final Form” exist.

“Final Form” might seem made of recognisable and well-explored, tried and tested rock elements. Indeed it is – the thunderous back beats and depth charge bass lines, the chugging guitars and the punchy vocals – but as they say, “It aint what you do, it’s the way that you do it” and in this case, that means that although the sonic building blocks might be familiar, the musical architecture that the band builds with it is both unique to contemplate and joyous to behold.

The best grunge music has always been driven by a warped pop sensibility, and that is something that is also at work here. Heavy metal is much improved when it allows enough space for everything to breathe, pool, and percolate effectively. Again, that is something to be found here. And hard rock works best when muscle and melody are present in equal quantity. Check.

Not only is the song big, but it is also clever. It talks about a friend of the band who has finally found a way to become their true self, something that everyone deserves to experience.

Rock isn’t dead; occasionally, you have to dismantle it, shake out the dust, give it a quick polish and then find new and exciting ways to put it back together. And that is precisely what is going on here.

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