Enforcer - Death By Fire [2013]

Not only is Enforcer one of the top acts to emerge from the new wave of Swedish heavy metal revival, but they're also the perfect dose of awesome to take in every time you find yourself frustrated in a fit of rage or anytime you feel all the intricacies of modern metal seem like too much of a drivel. I suppose there's no need to state the redundancy of Enforcer's aesthetics; this is not to say I dislike their eager and undoubtedly frivolous confrontation of speed/heavy metal, but I think by now we all know that you need not put too much ambition in songwriting to muster something in Enforcer's kin. As an incessant, suitable continuation of their past efforts, Enforcer at their spurious best; keeping the over cluster of speedy-as-fuck riffs at the ready, and the Swedes obviously have their roots inclined towards Maiden, Priest, Attacker, Saxon, Diamond Head, etc, and their latest endeavor, ''Death By Fire'', which provides with the perfect, unmitigated title for its spasmodic, kinetic energy, another practice if lightweight levity and one-dimensional, but nonetheless crisp 80's heavy/speed/power.

Enforcer are hardly perverse in their attitude - no matter how zealous they are about exhibiting their blatantly lined influences. It's nice to get acquainted with a few bands - including the Swedish RAM, Steelwing, Cauldron, and of course the matter of this subject - that are not directly and unashamedly ripping off their masters but are actually putting some compassion into their mixes, and the Swedes have done more than enough to show their avidity to fully batter the listener into a delightful 80's craze; the clothing fit for a maniacal mosh-dance, the erupting, eager leads that sprout out of nowhere, the unhinged bevy of riffs, and the harmonies vocal outings that help bring a power metal splash upon things, something redolent of, say, Blind Guardian, Running Wild or Riot, even though it's taken to a lesser degree than the hugely pummeling, pulsing speed/heavy influence. Enforcer's sole route of flashing energy and meting out melodies in throughout that congealment of thrashed-up speed metal riffing and they more melodic, more focused moments that brusquely interrupt the combo in a suitable way, much like the fairly complex structural patterns we see in ''Sacrificed''.

Indeed, and unfortunately, Enforcer's focus on the shell is far more prominent than that of the innards which contain the actual substance, so we're left with little more than a cherry to contemplate while through just a smidgen more of work they could achieved a much greater finesse of both infrastructure and actuality. But I was quite grateful that Enforcer could stick to their typical gyrating parameters and were able to deliver what was expected of them, and I felt that they were still above the subpar in terms of ambition. The vocals weren't strained, and in fact quite natural in their blazing ruptures, and riffs were marginally more than solely frivolous, condensing in a froth of both vividness and semi-complexity, sharp enough to successfully find its way through more than a couple of spins, the overall quality of the output is still high considering the sea of aping mosh-maniacs, and the guitar tone here deserves an extra accolade from me; for its beautiful, crystal-clear sound. I can't see how purists won't be worshiping this.

Highlights:

Satan

Mesmerized By Fire

Silent Hour/The Conjugation

Rating: 75%