Run With The Torch

A while back I wrote about the first Belgian band in 20 years to sign to Roadrunner Records, more specifically Spoil Engine. And since I love their debut album Skinnerbox v.07 with the excellent songs Fitting The Pieces and Own Worst Enemy. I was well happy about it. On the downside though, it pushed back the release of their follow up album Antimatter.

But now it’s here, and it exceeds my expectations! Antimatter is an absolute gem of an album. Spoil Engine have evolved with this album to a much more fleshed out and polished sound. One could say these ‘big’ labels polish bands too much, and complain it changes them too much. But this can hardly be the case with a sophomore effort.

Spoil Engine, is a Belgian band fronted by a Dutch vocalist, Benelux band might be more correct? Anyway, Antimatter sounds compared to Spoil Engine’s first effort a lot more professional, guitars sound as tight as they can be, and the vocals have improved quite a bit. Every single song stands on its own yet all of them fit into the album. Although influences range from In Flames to Machine Head and naturally Channel Zero, Spoil Engine’s latest album still has the unique sound I’ve come to love with Skinnerbox, a mix of melodic thrash metal and metalcore.

The tunes, In The Line Of Fire, New Disease, and Not Me really stand out for me, and I already know their choruses perfectly. The single Breathe might feel a little radiofriendly, but it did it’s job and gave the band a good place in the alternative charts (de Afrekening).

If you’d ask me, Roadrunner Records got a good deal out of this partnership, Antimatter fits more then well enough in Roadrunner’s repertoire. If my taste is any indicator, this album might be a great thing for Belgian metal in the international scene. It’s only been released in the Benelux so far, but keep your eyes open for it in record stores or buy it as mp3 from Amazon.

Tracklist:

1. Pressing On The Overload
2. In The Line Of Fire
3. Breathe
4. Antimatter
5. The New Disease
6. Seamless
7. Blindfolded
8. Fallout
9. Not Me
10. Wake Up Call

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