Making their namesake as a pugilistic combination of tough guy hardcore, rap and metal, E.Town Concrete built up a respectable underground fan base for themselves and yet never managed to achieve the kind of success or even exposure that many other rap-rock pairings went onto receive. The sting of such oversights seems quite present on "The Renaissance", an album which finds the band gearing towards the mainstream and yet still coming off as much more street oriented version of earlier P.O.D., Stuck Mojo and the like.

Whether it be in the form of the less aggressive vocal stylings, acoustic guitar playing or even the more laid-back feel of the songs on hand here, E.Town Concrete have definitely evolved and smoothed out their material. From traditional hip-hop styled numbers with metal underpinnings to a scant few thuggish metalcore bruisings that bring to mind the bands violent roots, this record definitively represents a broader side of the band. But while the instrumental composition may now dip into previously uncharted waters, the bands lyrical content continues to remain relatively the same with the ever popular street bragging, tales of days past and the cracking of a few skulls here and there standing front and center.

With nearly every band that mixes the genres of rap and metal tailoring their craft to follow in the footsteps of Linkin Park's ever successful, if not formulaic delivery; E.Town have instead stood their ground and continued to maintain a steady balance of ruthlessly heavy groove oriented rap and metal. Yes, their strides to further their sound and the reaches of their musicianship may have also unwittingly pushed them dangerously close to generic rap-metal. But it is also not without its occasional charm and while this record isn't bringing anything new to the table, it still has no problem smashing off a leg or two off of it if need be.