Label - Century Media
Release Date - 28th April 2023
Words- Tony Bliss
There’s nothing more satisfying than well-executed thrash metal, and there’s a helluva lot of it being flung our way at the moment. Of all the genre's bright new hopes, Enforced certainly shine brighter than most - 2019’s At The Walls established their blunt-force take on a time-honoured formula, whereas 2021’s Kill Grid was greeted as a nailed on future classic; a scalpel keen, outrageously intense nine tracks that really felt like a shot in the arm and a dose of invigorating new blood for the scene. With all that said, it’s of little surprise that you'll still want your protective head-gear and body armour close at hand before pushing play on this thing, as War Remains is equally as dark and nasty as its predecessor.
Whether you think this type of music still requires reinvention or not, there is still something to be said for simply nailing the fundamentals, and Enforced clearly aren’t interested in innovating anyway - the very nucleus of their being is food for your inner thrash-kids soul. Straight out of the gate, ‘Aggressive Menace’s clattering speedcore attack sets the tone for what is to come, which is in effect thirty-two minutes of straight-up arse-kickers, with whip-crack tempos, slight hints of proto-death metal here and there, and the street tough, basement show aesthetic of a Cro-Mags or Suicidal Tendencies coming together in a blizzard of nails-hard tunes.
And so, whilst I could tell you that 'Mercy Killing Fields' is essentially Slayer reincarnate (as if discarded cuts from the South Of Heaven and Seasons…studio sessions were swept up and fused together in piss and vinegar), and ‘Ultra Violence’ rips like Bonded By Blood-era Exodus, it's probably better that you just seek out a copy of this album, crush a beer can with your forehead and start running in a circle. In short, War Remain rules and will torch the very flesh from your bones over and over again, in the funnest possible way. 8/10
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