Kev Rowland I’m not too sure what Enforcer were trying to achieve with this album, but probably not this. Here is a band who have toured with the likes of Destruction, Flotsam and Jetsam, Nervosa, Warbringer, and Cauldron and have built a reputation on heavy/speed metal. Although they have attempted to keep to their speed roots, they have also over-commercialised it, slowed it down, and filled it full if Eighties clichés. The result is something which is listened to as a duty as opposed to something which is completed out of any desire to hear what is coming next. This is music which has attempted to hit a formula, but the band have been unable to decipher the equation have come up with something which misses on nearly all levels. That the production is strong (although it needs more bottom end) is never in doubt, nor that the guys can play and that Olof Wikstrand has a strong traditional HM voice, but the songs are weak and the arrangements worse.

This really is for fans only, and it will be interesting to see how they come back from this. They took a long time to record this and perhaps when they get back out into the real world and hit the stages again then they will revisit the passion they have displayed prior to this. This is not an album anyone new to the band should be investing in.

Time Signature One with fire...

Genre: traditional heavy metal / speed metal

The Swedish metallers in Enforcer have established themselves as a spearhead of the Swedish retro metal movement, and there seems to be no stopping them, as they return with another fine album in the form of "From Beyond".

The album kicks off with the fierce speed metal attack that is 'Destroyer', which is followed by the old school epic track 'Undying Evil' which is full of nods to NWoBHM and even contains a few subtle neoclassicisms. The next track is the more melodic and galloping title track. And these three tracks pretty much represent the different styles and directions found on the album, meaning that it is nicely varied and neatly balanced between the fast, the epic, and the melodic. But, at all times, the album is true old school and captures all the strengths and attraction points of 80s metal.

The musicianship is top notch, and the songwriting is solid. Naturally, we are not dealing with innovative or groundbreaking metal music here, but that's not what Enforcer is about. Enforcer is about showing the world that the aesthetics of early 80s metal still hold up today, and they do en expert job at that. They show that they truly understand where early 80s metal comes from although the band members were probably not even born back then.

Fans of old school heavy metal are in for a treat on this album, and anyone who adores NWoBHM should definitely give this fine album a listen.

optisailor2002 The very first track that I heard from the Swedish horde, Enforcer, was the instrumental title track of this album, Diamonds. The speed, energy and melody of the song instantly captured my attention, and reminded me of old school heavy metal in the form of works such as Iron Maiden's earlier material. After the successful debut full length album, Into the Night, it would have been hard for Enforcer to come up with even better music, yet with Diamonds, the band has managed to prove cynics wrong, with the album containing some of the strongest songs that the band has written so far.

The opening riffs of Midnight Vice instantly brings listeners back to the 80s, with the large, melodic hooks in the guitars, but without further ado the band goes into full speed with their melodic style of heavy/speed metal. Vocalist Olof could take awhile for first time listeners not accustomed to high-pitched vocals to get used to, but throughout the album he pushes the limits of his vocals, and just when one thinks that it's not possible for his vocals to get higher, he proves listeners wrong, and this can be heard on moments like the chorus of Nightmares. His performance on Diamonds further shows his versatility, having also played in Tribulation, a band with a totally different style of music. Each of the band members on the album also are given time to display their abilities, and in particular, bassist Tobias stands out from the rest of the band, with the high presence of the bass, and playing style almost reminiscent of Maiden's Steve Harris, with the galloping riffs that he tends to utilise at times. The guitars of Adam and Joseph are also another highlight, with the perfect balance between speed and melody.. The instrumental track Diamonds is perhaps the best track that displays the band's abilities, with lead spots given to each instrumentalist in the band, and it is here that the listener is given the opportunity to appreciate each of the instruments on the album.

The tracks on Diamonds are extremely melodic, and are written in such an infectious way that they can instantly grab the listener's attention, and without much effort get the listener headbanging along with the music. The band's numerous influences are also easily heard in the record, and especially on songs like the instrumental title track, Diamonds, the Maiden reference is clearly heard (what better way to attract a Maiden fan like me?), almost reminding listeners of Maiden's Transylvania, only infused with more speed and some punkish/thrashy elements, though the song and soften downs halfway, giving a short break to the listeners. The often harmonised twin-lead guitar solos that are present on the album, like on Running in Menace, further brings about the comparison to these heavy metal legends. Slower songs on the album like Katana have introductions that have a certain instrumental guitar feel, sounding like it could come off a Kiko Loureiro album, along with nice singalong choruses.

Few "new" bands have managed to remind me of my first few encounters with heavy metal, capturing the amazement that I felt when first listening to 70s hard rock and then 80s heavy metal a few years back, but with Diamonds, Enforcer has managed to do what many bands have failed to do for me and stir up a nostalgic emotion within, making it an extremely special album personally.

Originally written for http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/

Time Signature Live for the metal...

Genre: traditional heavy metal

Enforcer is part of the Swedish retro metal wave (or, it's a global phenomenon, I suppose), and on this their sophomore album, they draw extensively on the styles of metal associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

And I think they are doing a very good job of it. Stylistically, the tracks are reminiscent of early Iron Maiden (especially "Iron Maiden" and "Killers" as well as the singles they released in the same period) with an injection of influence from bands like Judas Priest, Salem and Satan, while other tracks. What I like about this release is that Enforcer really manage to capture the energy of the more upbeat and aggressive metal from the early 80s.

As with many of the other retro metal bands these days, I really appreciate that Enforcer keep classic 80s metal and all its wonderful elements alive. And, as I said, they do a great job of it, too.

Recommended to fans of good old 80s metal!

IndianaJones At first I didn't get this band. They were described and hailed everywhere as a great NWoBHM/traditional Heavy Metal act that kicked ass in live shows and also on record. I tried to get into the music a couple of times on their MySpace-site, but never really got that much interested. Everything was basically just the way it should be, but I felt that it missed something.

Then at the time of the release of their second album Diamonds the album was availible as a free download for a day or something, and I thought that now I'm giving them the last chance by listening to a whole album. Then in the small hours of the night I understood the hype surrounding the band: the opening song Midnight Vice caught me by the throat and I was shocked. This sounded a bit like the early Maiden, really hungry, vital and full of energy. Even the intro reminds me of Maiden's Ides of March which I always fancied.

The first song of the album is still probably my favourite off of it, but most of the material is following close behind. There are many speedish-sounding pieces here: Roll the Dice, High Roller, Live for the Night... they all have very 80's sounding riffs and soaring clean vocals and the soundscape is also leaning heavily to the eighties. It's actually quite pleasing to hear a heavy metal record made in the 2000's where you can hear the bass clearly. To accompany the sheer kick-ass fast paced tracks we have some slower and more epic stuff such as Katana, which has a great chorus and a nice mid-song build up that explodes into some fantastic guitar work.The record is quite even throughout, no fillers or clear bad tracks.

The length also bows to the vinyl ages, for it only runs for about 40 minutes in total. This makes it easier to listen than say Iron Maiden's newer albums which normally clock over an hour. So if you're interested in classic-sounding traditional heavy metal filled with furious and energetic tracks, you should definently check this one out. Friends of Killers or The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden should not be dissapointed.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, the song Walk With Me is (besides being an amazing and atmospheric song) based on the famous tv-series Twin Peaks. So that's another thumbs up for these Swedish fellows!