ALBUM REVIEW: At The Walls – Enforced

When done right, crossover thrash, or crossover hardcore, or whatever crossover you want to call it, can be one of the most vital and invigorating genres about. The energy that emanates from its genre pioneers like SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MUNICIPAL WASTE and TOXIC HOLOCAUST is undeniable, and as such, the whole scene is one massive maelstrom of partying and general chaos. ENFORCED are a newcomer to the crossover genre, having released a mere two demos of some truly spicy thrash influenced hardcore. As they continue to write their debut, ENFORCED also went through the effort of re-releasing their two previous demos onto one disc, titled At The Walls, with a couple of added extras for good measure.

The two new songs that start the re-release are excellent. It goes without saying given the nature of the rest of the ENFORCED back catalogue, but both Reckoning Force and Skinned Alive boast the pumping down stroked riffing that the Virginia troupe are making their staple. The thing that strikes out most with ENFORCED is their throttling aggression that comes with the way they play. The band gallop along at breakneck speed, and have managed to find a jagged guitar tone that suits to the bone.

The remaining songs here are remastered cuts from their first demo and Retaliation EP. The track listing is the same, even down to the track order. Whilst this can easily be seen as a disappointment, the knowledge that a true ENFORCED debut is in the works, At The Walls quickly becomes an incendiary taster of what’s to come. At The Walls Of Antioch is a frantic assault and The Heat features one of the most empowering and enjoyable shout outs as the lyrics “Can you stand the heat?” ring out over a pit inciting drum beat that will keep your fist pumping all the way to the end of your immediate second play through.

A bit of nit-pickery does show that the rougher, earlier recording quality certainly added a sense of exclusivity to ENFORCED, and made them feel like a bit of a well-kept secret of the scene. Whilst this was always going to eventually disappear, one cannot deny the lack of a rougher, rawer edge in these newer recordings. The energy still exists in droves, and the song writing quality is still at maximum quality, but there does seem to be a bit of original dirt missing.

With that still in mind, there is no denying how excellent At The Walls is and just how brilliant ENFORCED are. With POWER TRIP currently proving the vitality of thrash, and also that the meaner side of the genre can get over with a wider audience, there is a lot of hope for ENFORCED to prove themselves as absolute behemoths of the crossover scene. Get your teeth stuck well into this, and then wait around as impatiently as we are for the impending debut.

Rating: 9/10

At The Walls is set for release July 19th via WAR Records. 

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