Album Review: Spoil Engine - Renaissance Noire
Reviewed by Carl Black
What defines a radio friendly unit shifter? Something that you can hum along to whilst driving down the road with not a care in the world? Music that will make a lot of money?
This is not your typical radio friendly unit shifter. There's riffs, there's manic drumming and screaming vocals here in abundance, which in some ways is a bit of a shame. It's of the Bring Me The Horizon vain; music with a gentle helping of the current batch of new heavy music that's coming out led by Fever 333 and Of Mice and Men. We can hardly call these radio friendly unit shifters, however they do shift units and they are friendly to the radio.
Spoil Engine are trying to crash this particular party. They are the black sheep of this family though. They are not as commercially acceptable as the aforementioned bands. They take elements of extreme metal and massage them into a mainstream acceptable format.
Falling somewhere pleasantly inbetween is 'Renaissance Noire' trouble. They fall between the gaps, certainly when they're trying to be radio friendly, whilst still trying to have death core elements, sometimes within the same song; for me it's just doesn't work.
This is not going to please anyone. The radio listing crowd that are humming songs down the road listening to the music in the car, will have nothing to hum. The fans that live and breathe metalcore will have nothing to excite them here.
I'm not saying that this music is disingenuous. It's well produced, maybe a little too much so, but nonetheless it is still well produced. Quality of playing? There's no question about that. Excellent performances from all, no question. It just doesn't fit in anywhere. In some ways it's a bit of a shame because I am a lover of heavy music and this is mass processed and conveyor belt metalcore.
Imagine having a lump of artisan cheese that's handmade and crafted in a small workshop and then, having processed hamburger cheese straight from the supermarket. There is a world difference between them and yet they are the same products. I know which one I prefer, unfortunately Spoil Engine's 'Renaissance Noir' is not for me.
Spoil Engine release 'Renaissance Noire via Arising Empire on 15th November.
Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe
