While there is no debate about the quality of the record and the fiery performance of the quintet, Enforced wastes no time and fires on all cylinders. The opening track “Aggressive Menace” checks all the boxes in terms of speed, aggression, and hostility, with the riffing offering straight-up intensity and meticulously maintaining the vintage style of the 80s thrash metal. “War Remains” exhibits the old-school level of violence and their approach appears to be completely brutal and savage.

Going on full force with the bartering drums and sledgehammer riffs Enforced never details while playing at full speed and proving that their brute strength is the forte. The album also presents some groovy mid-tempo parts in the following song “The Quickening” which boastfully emphasizes chaotic solos, the ability to infuse extremely loud riffs with the energetic counterblow, and outstanding breakdowns that sound infectious. The new album maintains its frenzy energy playing at fast-paced tempos and creating a swirling symphony, the violent pattern of the riffs comes as thunderstorms.

“Hanged by My Hand” is where the violence is unleashed by the infectious riffs, the energetic pace of the drums, the fury explodes into incredible levels of intensity. Though the band is highly influenced by Power Trip, Enforced managed to display their own identity through a tight chemistry and the performance is beyond the ability of most of the thrash metal bands.

Drums hit hard and there is so much hate and violence spewed from the vocalist Knox Colby. The ultimate speed of the drumming shifts to an exponential pace, and drummer Alex Bishop provides some killer double bass kicks on “Avarice” hence possessing his talents as he accelerates through the riffing vortex. The guitar work of Will Wagstaff and Zach Monahan exactly delivers what you would expect from an unhinged band such as Enforced, the combination of tremolos also gets a fair amount. The album’s title track “War Remains” sounds like a brutalized exercise in thrash metal brilliantly crafted by the militaristic drums delivered to put a menacing wall of riffing assault. While there is a sense of aggression in the tone of the vocals, the bass guitar of Ethan Gensurowsky adds an extra layer of depth to the machine gun fire.

The dirty swagger and the cold-blooded sadistic riff on “Mercy Killing Fields” begins at a slower pace despite being overwhelmed by the mid-tempo, the song quickly transitions into a violent and ruthless upbeat. Powerful thrashing drums played insanely fast, Enforced naturally imposes its brutal artillery. Riffs on this track are devastating, you get the feeling that you are being leveled to the ground in the faster sections, which are full of killer guitar hooks. The madness never eases even when the drums execute some double kicks, but the insane ride continues as the dual guitars fire on some ultra-violent hateful anthem on “Nation of Fear”.

The outstanding guitar work shows off some flawless lead section and delivers some impressive old-school thrash metal/crossover aggression, and the tight musicianship as well as the songwriting makes it easier one of the highlights of the album. The great crossover between Sepultura and Cro-Mags is spot on, Enforced pulls off incredible ferocity that only a few bands can, and most of all they flawlessly convey a slab of proverbial thrash metal. With ferocity tearing into barbarity in “Ultra-Violence,” the faster moments come at the breakneck pace of the drums.

“Starve” is a mid-paced track that contains some infectious riffs and unexpectedly shifts to faster tempos midway through the song, but it also displays the creativity of the band in the sense of intensity. The final track “Empire” hits with mid-paced velocity. This is possibly the most diverse track on the album that includes some darker riffs, the acceleration of the drums later on brings some fast blistering moments and mid-paced grooves that are flawlessly crafted.

Links