Enforcer-Diamonds
Heavy Artillery
2010
There are a lot of different directions that metal bands can go in these days. A number of acts really push the limits and attempt to explore sounds that have not been touched upon. However so many younger bands choose to go the other way and go back in time. Whether it's plethora of bands playing retro-thrash or the outpouring of 80's inspired glam bands, there just seems to be a lot of acts who think the sound of the past is the way to go. It's doesn't break a lot of new ground, but it's familiar and if it's played with enough energy it might turn out to be worth a listen. That leads me to Sweden's Enforcer. I first heard these guys on the "Speed kills...again" compilation a few years ago and was impressed enough to be excited when their "Into the night" album came out the next year. Enforcer showed a blend of NWOBHM and early thrash. That blending of styles is what set them apart from many other retro-metal bands. So my hope was that they would follow on that style and maybe bring some of their own ideas. Not so I am afraid. For some reason this time around they pushed out most of the traces of early speed metal and opted for an almost total NWOBHM sound.The prime influence is the first two Iron Maiden albums although there are traces of Angelwitch, Raven and Saxon as well. The previous album sounded like it could have been done in 1983, but by eliminating the early thrash influences "Diamonds" sounds more like could have been done in 1981. If you like early Maiden than you may take to right away and NWOBHM enthusiasts may very well embrace it too. For those reasons alone it's worth checking out. However I can't help but think that we are missing out on something because this band decided to delve completely into one style. It's a good album for sure and quite possibly it might grow enough to end up on my top ten album list by the end of 2010. However I still preferred the blended sound of "Into the night" and wished they had explored that sound instead.
posted by Metal Mark at
11:05 AM
5 Comments:
Good to read you liked it. I like what I heard on their MySpace page. I may pick this one up at some point.
BTW -- ENOUGH with the comment moderation!!! =P
I went with no comment moderation for about four years. Then last year I started getting 6-10 spam comments per day. I still get this same amount so it's much easier to deal with using comment moderation. I approve all comments that are not spam.
Interesting. I didn't know Enforcer came out with another one. I liked their last album. I wonder why they changed from Thrash. So few bands are doing it well these days. They could have been part of the next generation to carry the torch.
This album is growing on me quite a bit. Probably a top ten right now.
Hmm, I liked the song or two I heard on the Earache site from Diamonds. Now I'm a little suspicious. Growth, finding your way is one thing. That can take several albums for some. Finding a marketable genre is entirely different. I don't keep up with things. So, I have no idea what's in these days. Was it that big of a change?
Btw, moderation is better than those captchas. Either way, it's necessary Unless you're interested in cheap viagra, getting rich quick, or infecting your pc with malware.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home