Enforcer were founded in 2004 in Arvika, Sweden. With the release of their debut album Into The Night in 2008, the band displayed a heavy/speed metal sound modeled after Exciter, Agent Steel and Anvil. The quartet led by Olof Wikstrand (vocals/guitar) line-up has been fairly stable. The good reception of their work led to the third album "Death By Fire" being released by Nuclear Blast in 2013. But my actual first contact with Enforcer was their 2015's album From Beyond which made a very good impression and earned a good spot in that year-end list.
In 2019, we are presented with their fifth album Zenith. From the get-go my impression of Zenith was positive but I was also surprised. I was expecting a thrashy / speedy sound but the fast-paced heavy metal hymns were mostly missing. The band opted for a mid-tempo polished approach. To be fair songs like "Thunder and Hell" bring up their aggressive speed metal sound. This song is particularly strong and could be out of Manowar's Battle Hymns. But mostly Zenith sounds like early Motley Crue. Despite some remaining traces of speed metal, the album is a total homage to the 80's glam metal with some hints of 90's power metal. Tracks such as the opener and single "Die for the Devil" or "Searching for You" are clear examples. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just very different from previous records and unexpected. But some other tracks go too far. The romantic piano intro of "Regrets" got me worried we would go for a full ballad but the 6-min track turns into a stadium rock anthem. While I frowned upon it at first, I was caught by its cheesiness. Also "Sail On" is very weird and displays a rather irritating chorus. Looking at the bright side, there are other good moments. The orchestral elements on "One Thousand Years Of Darkness" is a good experiment for the band and add a different flavor to the song. Surprisingly enough, the intro riff and solo section remind me of Children of Bodom. The more epic approach is evident on the last tracks "Forever We Worship the Dark" and the the 7 minute, dark and crushing "Ode To Death" and they work well.
Zenith format with 10 tracks in 47 minutes is one that works very well for me. It's easy to get through the album while having a good time. The album is well produced with a dynamic, clean and clear mix. The vocal style of Olaf is very suitable to the music and he performs it very well. He can hit those high notes but does not overuse them. We know that because in the track "The End of a Universe" he does not hold back and sound like Jon Oliva during the Gutter Ballet era. Guitars are solid, the drumming competent and the bass sound clear in the mix. Overall Zenith is the album that the teenager me would have loved. But of course the much older me while enjoying it also sees problems. The songs are very well written and the execution impressive, but there's lack of originality, speed and aggressiveness. I must say that throughout the album the over use of singing Oh-oh-oh really annoyed me, and some songs lost points for that.
It seems that after working on Zenith for more than a year, Enforcer is aiming to expand its audience "by conquering the stages all around the globe" with their catchy, 80's glam influenced stadium sound. It was not what I expected from them after the good From Beyond but it's still a fun ride.
SCORE: 80/100
DR: 10
Genre: Heavy/Glam Metal
Released by Nuclear Blast on April 26th, 2019
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