SPOIL ENGINE – Stormsleeper
- by Matt Coe
- Posted on 13-05-2017
These days, genre crossing appears to be the norm – since staying in one niche seems passé. Hailing from Belgium and Holland, Spoil Engine blend together modern metalcore, cyber nuances, and melodic death on their "Stormsleeper" album. Which means for the listener a heaviness that can bring Arch Enemy or current In Flames up in spots, while also exploring aspects of Bring Me the Horizon or In This Moment. The early material like "Disconnect" and "Doomed to Die" features riffing and expletive laced, in your face lyrics that pander to more of the Five Finger Death Punch community, while the title cut and "The Verdict" showcase more of the band’s musicianship and diversity – leaning towards the melodic death side of things that could gain them a decent following.
Iris Goessens can deliver the duality screams and clean melodies equally – check out the ballad "Singing Sirens" that features killer fill work from drummer Matthijs Quaars to hear her switch-ups that make this a second half highlight. There’s just something in the water where European bands take something that may have developed in North America and tweak it to be that much more potent and memorable – "Stormsleeper" as a result is a worthy newcomer to keep your eye on.