Virginia’s thrash metal monsters ENFORCED have been blazing their own uncompromising trail of destruction since their arrival in 2016. Last years full-length effort War Remains was gratefully received and worked wonders in elevating them to the upper echelons of the division. To tide us over until their next extensive release, the quintet are back with and armed to unleash a six-track EP entitled A Leap Into The Dark. Will this give us an indication of the direction they are heading to in the future?
Betting On The End comes bursting out of the gate with blistering pace and thumping drum beats. Abrasive vocal bursts soon join the onslaught. Anyone who dares say thrash is dead needs to give themselves a shake, either that or they just need thrown into the middle of an ENFORCED pit.
Now your necks are suitably warmed up, A Leap Into The Dark elevates the intensity even further with additional rounds of rapid-fire riffing. The addictive, rhythmic pummelling is too enticing to resist. Not to be outdone, Deafening Heartbeats tests how long it will take to get a surge of adrenaline racing through your body. Wild fret acrobatics ensue, even when they choose to adopt a more measured, stomping approach the aggression refuses to subside.
A remastered but still gritty update of Casket from the initial Kill Grid sessions resumes the jet-engine fuelled ferocity with incendiary swiftness and unrelenting heaviness all crammed into just less than two minutes. Their cover of OBITUARY‘s Deadly Intentions is equally as straight to the point, running rampant with laser-focused lead work leaving an emphatic mark. Closing track and ENGLISH DOGS cover The Chase Is On brings some meaty bass lines to the table and a punk-infused mentality which obviously goes hand in hand with the thrash sensibilities to wrap this release up in impressive fashion.
Whilst this may be considered as somewhat of a stopgap until the next full-length effort gets underway, A Leap Into The Dark provides enough content to whet your appetite. ENFORCED are dragging the entire genre of thrash metal, kicking and screaming into the next generation and should be applauded for their consistently effective efforts.
Rating: 8/10
A Leap Into The Dark is out now via Century Media Records.
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