After a near four-year hiatus, Virginia quintet Spitfire have returned to thrill longtime fans and to introduce a new audience to their aural insanity. One of the biggest disappointments of 2001 was when the band decided to prematurely call it a day after the release of their new CDEP with new label Goodfellow Records. Spitfire issued several releases themselves and contributed to a number of compilations before signing to Solid State Records (Underoath, Zao, Norma Jean), the aggressive music im(show more)

After a near four-year hiatus, Virginia quintet Spitfire have returned to thrill longtime fans and to introduce a new audience to their aural insanity. One of the biggest disappointments of 2001 was when the band decided to prematurely call it a day after the release of their new CDEP with new label Goodfellow Records. Spitfire issued several releases themselves and contributed to a number of compilations before signing to Solid State Records (Underoath, Zao, Norma Jean), the aggressive music imprint label of Tooth and Nail Records (Further Seems Forever, MxPx, Mewithoutyou).

The band, then a trio, released The Dead Next Door, its only full-length for Solid State, in 1999. Following their stint on the label, Spitfire would regroup as a quartet, issuing a CDEP on Goodfellow entitled The Slideshow Whiplash in 2001. The EP was well received upon its release but the band itself was in turmoil. After several months of rumors, they split in late 2001, with several of its members moving on to other musical projects including Scarlet and Mae. The band reformed in 2005 as a quintet, having added guitarist Scottie Henry from the metal outfit Norma Jean and Dan Tulloh from the shock rocking Scarlet into their ranks.

This new incarnation of the group is definitely the most menacing version yet. Musically, the modern day Spitfire plays a hybrid of metal and hardcore that is comparable to bands such as Every Time I Die, The Melvins and even Voivod, as well as the speedy punk rock of Hot Snakes.