Antoinette are the latest in a sea of metalcore bands currently emerging within the UK underground scene and in all honesty their EP Renaissance is exactly what you’d come to expect from the genre.
After a somewhat awkward and uncomfortable introductory track of the listener reaching Antoinette’s ‘phone answer machine’, things get going properly with first full track Machines but unfortunately it’s a largely uninspiring piece that doesn’t really manage to hold your interest. There’s nothing special about it and sadly following track Conform/Control is more of the same but after that is where Renaissance picks up with Misanthropist.
Misanthropist is a song that packs a punch from start to finish and it’s full of energy and mighty riffs. The vocals are strong and powerful, and there’s a lot of drive and passion behind the song in general. The band have really excelled themselves with this song and they then wind things up with Avalanche, which has just the right amount of melody to juxtapose nicely against the harsh vocals.
Sure, Renaissance may not be the most original of EPs out there, but it does have potential – give this band time and they could well become something special.
6/10
