Earache Records - 2010
10/10
As much as I love a good dose of straight-to-the-face speed metal, it usually takes a few more ingredients for a band to truly find themselves. Sweden’s Enforcer followed-up their strong debut with something that does just that, completely sinking into the groove that would define themselves as a whole. Diamonds not only doesn’t let up their speedy backbone roots, but integrates beefy songwriting that fits right in with it. The end product would come to be one of my favorite metal albums since the turn of the century, with only a few rivals in the past twenty-three years.
Despite this great leap forward in songwriting, the production still has the organic feeling that we got two years prior with Into The Night, being about as good a balance as you can get. The drum tone matches that atmosphere wonderfully, pairing with the perfectly audible bass under that umbrella. With this comes a side of more breaks and bridges that pump the songs with lots of life, working well with the speed metal structures and the steadier ones alike. Collectively, it sits alongside and under vocals that feel the littlest bit more concise from before, not needing to rely on heavier outbursts. In essence, every band member shines brighter than they ever have before.
The real magic is how this all works in every track, regardless of the method applied. “Katana” is a tune I pretty much fell in love with instantly, due to its emotional guitar intro leading to stellar chord progressions and a chorus that has my endorphins sky high; the backing vocals here are tremendous! Moreover, the slow-down phase that utilizes simple licks meet a ferocious solo wonderfully, backed by basswork that rivals Steve Harris. “Running In Menace” follows it up with a similar tone while reversing the momentum to a calmer presence across the board, achieving that feeling without the extra ingredients. Similarly, “Walk With Me” drags this cooler aesthetic out with mystical precision in lieu of advanced soloing. Its haunting soundscapes and poetic integrity are rather fitting for the ode to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Proper layer placement plays such a huge role this time around, and I’m here for every minute of it.
Yet, plenty of Diamonds works with speed aggression at just the right times. “Live For The Night” is so jarring following the tame title track, an instrumental interlude sandwiched between it and another catchy ripper known as “High Roller.” Closer “Take Me To Hell” sends us off with a final fast boost without letting go of any memorability, a chord that “High Roller” also strikes. Catchiness in general is displayed everywhere without using it as a crutch, even for the aforementioned longer songs at the top.
Opener “Midnight Vice” lets this be known right away, using a catchy chorus as its main selling point while slowly peeling back the riff layers that lead us to it. Like this one, several tracks borrow a little bit of influence off of every face, rather than using one main idea and building around it. “Nightmares” is an interesting one, because its main rhythm may be the heaviest on the album, yet the chorus and vocal bridge feel quite welcoming. “Roll The Dice” does the exact same thing in a shorter time frame, acting as a solid set-up for the stellar “Katana.”
Anytime some old head that stopped checking out new music when they graduated high school says there’s no good traditional metal anymore, I immediately think of this record. Enforcer have been cranking out banger after banger ever since their start, and this 2010 effort is a masterpiece that I’d call a “desert island” album. Speed metal is the band’s backbone, but this introduces advanced song structures, strong poetry, a new sense for advanced melody, and production that lets everyone stand out. Regarding traditional metal in the new century, it’s up there with Ghost’s Meliora, Haunt’s Mind Freeze, Skull Fist’s Chasing The Dream, and Konquest’s Time And Tyranny.
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