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Enforcer: Nostalgia
Enforcer - Nostalgia Album Art

Enforcer: Nostalgia

Traditional Heavy Speed Metal
4.5/5.0

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Nuclear Blast
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 02.05.2023 | Released: 05.05.2023

Created in 2004 as a solo project by multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter Olof Wikstrand, Sweden's Enforcer began as a one man band. Twenty years on, Enforcer has evolved into a team effort, including Olof's younger brother Jonas on drums and keyboards (who also has a remarkable career as a professional composer and sound designer) In the past two decades, Enforcer has dropped several demos, many splits, five long players, and two live albums. Most recently, they dropped an EP, 1000 Years Of Darkness on cassette. Is that old school or what? Which, appropriately, brings us to their latest and sixth studio album, Nostalgia. The album arrives with new bass player Garth Condit (Slumbering Sun).

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Enforcer

As most fans know, Wikstrand and company wear their musical influences on their leather and denim khuttes. Enforcer offers this modern generation a heaping helping of classic and traditional heavy speed metal. Their metal moves by twin guitars, rock groove, speedy pacing, blazing solos, and memorable refrains. While metal elements are constant, Enforcer's song arrangements can mix them in creative ways. Speaking to some songs then.


Enforcer's bread and butter is essential heavy/speed metal. The quartet delivers with Demon, Kiss Of Death, At The End Of The Rainbow, and Unshackle Me. That last song also demonstrates how efficiently Enforcer infuses rock groove into their metal. For something completely over the top, Coming Alive blends speed, thrash, and punk into one ruthless and pummeling song that borders on musical chaos. Close to this motif is also Metal Supremacia but does not quite met the former's fierceness. Alternatively, the title cut trips you up with it's light acoustic guitar start with soft vocals, only to build into a tough anthem with a blistering guitar solo. Similar is Heartbeats, but only at the start. Otherwise, the song builds to haste and heaviness at the half where it becomes guitar-driven speed metal.

On a production note, the album contains 13 songs, unlike previous albums which, on average, had ten. Call it old school, or nostalgic, if you wish, Enforcer has always created albums that would fit on a traditional 12" vinyl LP (which holds 23 minutes per side). Curiously, or more likely intentional, Nostalgia's 13 songs will still fit on a 12" vinyl. Which means, fans can also buy the album on rainbow splatter vinyl and, you betcha, also blue cassette. Order yours today.

All said, with Nostalgia, Sweden's Enforcer once more delivers the heavy metal goods, a fine album classic heavy speed metal by one the modern era's most talented bands. Easily recommended.



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The Take Away

All said, with Nostalgia, Sweden's Enforcer once more delivers the heavy metal goods, a fine album classic heavy speed metal by one the modern era's most talented bands. Easily recommended.

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