EP Review: Final Form

One of the shortest extended play (EP) releases I have had to review so far. The five tracks add up to just under nine minutes of what is undoubtedly a punk length release. The title track, Crow Hand, starts with a heavy riff that screams of an accelerando version of System of a Down’s Nüguns intro. This track is fast-paced and scrappy, with very few vocals; the title of the track comprising almost half of the lyrics. Malamute, is very garage rock, with a vibe that channels a mix of Aussie rockers Jet and Airbourne with unbridled energy.

With quite a well-rounded rock sound, they have a good mix of treble and bass in the guitars compared to the general punk vibe. The vocals are high, harsh, and aggressive, with barely distinguishable lyrics. The coarse vocal style could be compared to that of Robert Bartleh Cummings  a.k.a. Rob Zombie. 

Interestingly, several of the latter tracks have a very deep and heavy alt-rock sound that has some strong similarities to acts such as the already mentioned System of a Down, Godsmack, with the lighter tracks having a simple clean sound not dissimilar to The Offspring. Final track, King of the Sea, is the most legible track with a lighter, cleaner sound to it, at least until it leads you into the slow, heavy chug of doom metal in the breakdown before the solo.

With a surprising amount of variety in this short EP, Ginzu And The Steak Knives provide a quick adrenaline-fueled fusion of rock, punk, and doom metal that has a more mainstream sound despite maintaining anarchical roots.