Nuclear Blast - 2019
9/10
A heavy disclaimer, I’m breaking my typical reviewing character for this one.
What! Are you telling me that Enforcer opted not to make a fourth album in a row of the exact same format they’ve been doing? What do you mean that the hints dropped in From Beyond consisting of cooler songs and a focus away from speed metal would be realized entirely on the next album? Absolutely bizarre! Introducing glammier elements as well as typical Europower epicness that has been slowly revealing itself for two albums could never stain my speed metal! But oh, I’m afraid, these characteristics will be quite operational, when your metal dweeb friends arrive! A shame, because that absolutely wouldn’t have been totally boring and predictable or anything. Do you think, maybe, you can only do so much with speed metal before needing to shed your skin into a different style?
Seriously, though; it’s been four years since the release of Zenith, and I’m still in absolute shock over its reception. This is not a record that I went into thinking that I would be the only person that defends it. It would be one thing if it was nothing but by-the-numbers Bon Jovi clones, Kiss knockoffs, or Ratt regurgitation (as much as I love all of those bands, it wouldn’t fit). But are you fucking kidding me? Enforcer’s fifth effort is an elaboration on the epic buildups and calmer construction that made itself known on its predecessor, and it’s truly a tremendous leap forward in this thing we call musical evolution. Not heavy? Not powerful? No, I’m sorry, that’s objectively incorrect. There’s one (1) whole ballad, and a movement away from speed metal as the main ingredient. I didn’t realize that something had to be speed metal to be heavy, powerful, or impactful.
The fifth installment by the Swedish powerhouse is full of life, solos, refreshing ideas, and emotion that just realizes itself in a different form. “Zenith Of The Black Sun” really couldn’t paint this picture any better. Is it slower for a hot minute? Oh yeah. Then guess what, it morphs from slow suspense into several layers of soloing and riffing under a colorful gradient, played at (wait for it) faster speeds! Look also to “Forever We Worship The Dark,” a tune that sprinkles the same suspenseful influence but instead relies on a gang-chant chorus and a powerful lead-melody bridge to deliver the payload, rather than a blitzing riff that everyone will choose to conveniently ignore. Even “One Thousand Years Of Darkness” knocks this out of the park, channeling in a power metal oriented derivative, crammed into a straightforward template that helps complement the epic nature of the other two songs I just mentioned.
My theory is that two single songs are what gave everyone this false idea that Zenith sounds anything remotely close to Def Leppard. For one, the intro in opener “Die For The Devil,” a whole 2 seconds of the album, certainly could make a case for this. Otherwise, this is an emotion-heavy tune that just relies on a catchy chorus (like they did plenty of on every other fucking album), except it does by that better by utilizing harmonics and melancholy in the verses. “Regrets” is our single ballad, the other thing that likely gave this record its reputation, but even then, Enforcer haven’t tampered with soft piano as the entire foundation yet. Not only is this well written, but it compliments Olaf’s vocals, and fits the general flow of the disc.
What we’re left with is the emulsion that blends these new ideas together. “The End Of A Universe” is a steady, cleaner tune that has a darker tint to balance things nicely, while “Searching For You” is a full-force speed metal tune. Damn, it’s a shame they didn’t just write nine more of these, isn’t it. Actually, it’s a great spike placed wonderfully to contrast the soft song that follows, reminding us of where the band came from in a smooth manner; not making us yearn for what was already done. “Thunder And Hell” does basically the same thing with a little more elaboration, and closer “Ode To Death” touches base with the established epic nature that weaves in and out of this whole record. I guess the intro could classify it as a half-ballad (God forbid), but it works very well for what it is. My literal only complaint involves “Sail On,” mostly because the chorus misses the point of repetition’s usefulness, and feels far too much like an obvious filler. But even this is a minor issue, and I can overlook it due to the keys-meet-guitar rhythm build.
I don’t really know how to wrap this up other than by saying if you haven’t given this a chance in years, maybe try listening again in a vacuum without the clouded stink of annoying expectations. If you're new to the band, this should sound anything but abnormal for a heavy metal release, and you should proceed as usual. This record is as great as Death By Fire and a step below Diamonds, it’s just, ya know, a little different. It’s full of strong choruses, heavy build-ups and galloping riffs. There’s a lot of emotion, harmonies, and layers that anybody could have predicted. It’s not a by-the-numbers glam metal throwback (which I probably would have dug to some degree anyway); this is an honest evolution of a speed metal band’s growth into something that I return to as often as the earlier albums, if not more. My days of being accused of being a contrarian are mostly behind me, and I can usually admit my biases these days, but not here. It’s everyone else that’s wrong, not me.
No comments:
Post a Comment