Engine of Pain CD's and DVD's Lion Music webstore

Artist :

Title :
Label :
Release :
Genre(s) :

Reviewed by :
Review Date :

Rating :

Engine Of Pain [website]

I Am Your Enemy
Lion
2007
Metalcore , Thrash

voodoo
2/2/2007

7.5 out of 10

Lion Music is going out on a limb with Engine of Pain. Lion is a label known mostly for its large stable of melodic, progressive rock and metal. With Engine of Pain they have branched out into the thrash metal category. As far as I can tell Engine of Pain is the ONLY band on the label that is not melodic, progressive or instrumental, and is certainly the heaviest. While at first it was a shock to hear this new style coming from Lion I am now thinking it is a good thing to branch out and add variety.

I am Your Enemy is the second CD from the Dutch Engine of Pain, with the EP Here is the Pain being released in 2004. Both band and label make comparisons to bands such as The Haunted, Pantera, Testament and In Flames – high praise indeed and tough standards to follow. At first listen the style comparisons seem to be fair and the more I listened the more I felt that in time this band would find its own identity. They are pretty close right now, though.

The music of Engine of Pain certainly has a thrash-inspired sound and feel but the vocals float between the shouting of metalcore and the rough throat style of thrash. The first song is the title track, and for the first 80 seconds or so I thought I was listening to Nine Inch Nails, not a thrash band. They incorporate some electronica and samples that had me very worried upon first listen. But when the band kicks in with the real stuff my worries subsided. It became very clear that this is a thrash band. The second track, Fuel the Engine, gets bonus points for using a South Park sample (Cartman, specifically) at the beginning. Even though I don’t watch the show it caught my attention and was quite funny. The song itself is pretty damn good, too.

As the CD progresses it became clear that this is a band with the right idea. Although there is nothing revolutionary going on the execution of the style is admirable. There is no overdependence on double bass drumming – in fact the mix of the simple and not-so-simple is just about perfect. There is also a good mix of strong old-school riffs and wild solo’s. I had a real hard time trying to find fault with this CD. In all honesty there really are no deficiencies to point out. With each listen my head and feet were moving right along with the music and my air guitar was in full force. All very good signs, of course. But at the same time I could not find anything that truly stood out. However, I did enjoy this CD and it will get more playing time. This is a very solid release, no question about it, and I am eager to hear what they come up with next.

	I am Your Enemy	CD Lion Music			€12.90	$15.90
				“I Am Your Enemy” is Lion Music’s heaviest release to date, with musical similarities to In Flames, Testament, Pantera and The Haunted. The intense riffery, intricate arrangements and pummelling vocals showcase a band that will not let anything stand in their way. Lyrically the album focuses on the difficulties of everyday life, global politics or sometimes just having a huge out of line all night long party