Enforced

The Plague – Within Death Review

By Holdeneye on May 6, 2021 in Reviews, Death Metal, Hardcore, 28 comments

“I’m not exactly sure why, but I’ve been spinning Black Breath’s Sentenced to Life a lot recently. Maybe it was the epic face-kicking that I received from the recent Enforced release, but something made me seek out even more crossover bludgeonry by which to flagellate myself. Sentenced to Life saw the Seattle band blending crossover thrash with the rumbling HM-2 Swedish death metal of Entombed and Dismember, and the results were pretty glorious, earning the coveted 5.0 from my predecessor in unbridled optimism, Happy Metal Guy himself. Well, between this preparation and my recent Entombed kick following the passing of L.G. Petrov, I was primed to reach for the next buzzsaw promo I found. It sounds distasteful to say at a time like this, but bring on The Plague!” Get down with it.

Enforced – Kill Grid Review

By Holdeneye on March 12, 2021 in Reviews, Hardcore, Thrash Metal, 92 comments

“Oh man, have I been excited to get my hands on this one. In 2019, I happened upon the promo for At the Walls, the debut record from Richmond, Virginia crossover thrash act Enforced. The album was a combination of previously-released demo and EP tracks with some newer material, and while this may have resulted in some minor consistency issues, that thing riffed hard, riffed often, and barely missed my 2019 year-end list. The thought of a follow-up record written in one, cohesive go was tantalizing, and my excitement only grew when I heard that Enforced was picked up by Century Media last year. But at the same time, when a raw, passionate band moves to a bigger label, I always get a bit nervous.” Dying on the grid.

Plague Years – Circle of Darkness Review

By Holdeneye on September 17, 2020 in Reviews, Hardcore, Thrash Metal, 52 comments

“Plague Years dole out Slayer grooves with hardcore vocals just like every other modern crossover band, but the beef levels have been turned up to 11 by down-tuning the guitars and adding some death metal elements. If Power Trip is the classic, lean and mean Greek god physique of crossover, Plague Years is the modern-day, steroid-saturated Mr. Olympia.” Circle of power.

Paralysis – Mob Justice Review

By Holdeneye on June 1, 2020 in Reviews, Hardcore, Thrash Metal, 23 comments

“Crossover thrash certainly seems to be making an honest effort to have its day in the sun lately. While it has existed since the early 80s and has had its loyal adherents ever since, the genre is suddenly teeming with new life. Bands like Power Trip, High Command, Enforced, and Red Death are capitalizing on the resurgence of interest in the style, and the results have been quite glorious.” Mob violence.

High Command – Beyond the Wall of Desolation [Things You Might Have Missed 2019]

By Holdeneye on December 11, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Southern Lord, Things You Might Have Missed, Things You Might Have Missed 2019, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 51 comments

“I soon began to hear rumblings about Beyond the Wall of Desolation both in the comments here and in the metal community abroad, so I finally forced myself to taste of the fruit that the record has to offer. It’s a good thing that this fruit comes pre-pulverized in smoothie form, because High Command’s brand of thrash lands like a swift punch to the mouth and I found myself sans teeth in short order.” Teeth are for closers.

Enforced – At the Walls Review

By Holdeneye on July 17, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Reviews, Thrash Metal, War Records, Thrash Metal, 36 comments

“In 2017, a little Texas band named Power Trip released their sophomore album Nightmare Logic and subsequently blew the metal world’s collective mind. Their brand of crossover thrash made them darlings of the underground and mainstream metal media alike, and that record was a part of several year end lists here at AMG. Todays offering At the Walls finds relative newcomers Virginia’s Enforced laying siege to the throne with their debut set of crossover tunes, but do they even riff?” Riff the walls down.