Late 2004, four metalscene friends decided to get together and inject some new life into the Belgian metal scene. They only needed one rehearsal to feel the chemistry and so the search was on for a vocalist who could add that extra punch. They found the right man for the job when they met Niek Tournois, a small Dutchman with a big voice. The five-piece band immediately got cracking in their rehearsal space to get the engine rolling.
Their hard work eventually resulted in a chance to open up for Arch Enemy and perform for a large crowd. With a tight and ferocious set they dazzled not only the audience, but also record labels and promoters. In 2007 Spoil Engine made their mark with the release of their debut album ‘Skinnerbox V07’ on Apache Records. Their ripping metal with intelligent song structures and lyrics got them rave reviews by both national and international press. This led to an appearance at the Graspop Metal Meeting where they showed no mercy and gave the Belgian crowd a dose of pulverising metal. After that, they kept impressing by playing gigs with Sepultura, Prong, Volbeat, Hatesphere, Textures and many other bands. One of their live performances was even aired on national radio station Studio Brussels. They became the best selling Belgian metal band of 2007.
While they kept destroying stages in 2008, Spoil Engine worked hard on a new album. The writing process revealed the evolution they had gone through as a band. Playing live now turned them into a well-oiled machine and the new songs are prove it. Gone are the obvious influences by Pantera, Slayer, Machine Head and Slipknot. In 2009 Spoil Engine have set their own sound which offers a slab of intense melodic metal with catchy hooks, memorable choruses, intelligent lyrics and international potential.
The album was recorded in a relaxed atmosphere in vocalist Niek’s own Sweet & Sour Studios. Producer Ace Zec provided the album with a fresh, clear and natural sounding mix. Mastering was completed at Sterling Sound New York (AC/DC, Metallica, …), where Ue Nastasi (Devildriver, Darkest Hour, Killswitch Engage) put the final touches to the recording. The end result is ‘Antimatter’. It features artwork created by Septic Flesh frontman Seth Siro Anton, who has designed album covers for Soilwork, Paradise Lost and Moonspell.
With the aid of their first label Apache Records, contacts were made with Roadrunner Records. The legendary metal label is now thrilled to be working with Spoil Engine, who became the first Belgian band in 20 years to be released under the Roadrunner banner. With their support, Spoil Engine are set to lift Belgian metal out of the underground. The engine is running in overdrive!
