Band:	Enforcer
Album:	Death By Fire
Style:	Heavy metal, Speed metal
Release date:	February 01, 2013
A review by:	R'Vannith

01. Bells Of Hades
02. Death Rides This Night
03. Run For Your Life
04. Mesmerized By Fire
05. Take Me Out Of This Nightmare
06. Crystal Suite
07. Sacrificed
08. Silent Hour / The Conjugation
09. Satan

Some bands like to try their hand at reinventing the wheel. Some would prefer to throw the old wheels on their vehicle and just let it ride. Sweden's Enforcer are completely aware of the age of their traditional and brazen NWOBHM sound but rest assured the ride will be fast and fun.

First cuts "Death Rides This Night" and "Run For Your Life" proceed at a blistering pace leaving little to memory save the awareness of having been scorched by their untethered speed and mildly thrash braced nature, gearing you up for the album's energy.

Death By Fire is edgy and youthful in sound in a similar way to a spry Metallica on the Kill 'em All record and the guitars harness the, apparently, still burning flame of the NWOBHM. The midsection of instrumental "Crystal Suite" is straight from Iron Maiden's Transylvanian vault and the boding intro to "Sacrificed" channels some Angel Witch. Plenty of references external to the NWHOBHM are on offer with the riffs which roll off the back end of "Mesmerized By Fire" nodding to Motorhead and vocalist Wikstrand gives tracks such as "Take Me Out Of This Nightmare" some big hair and adds a bit of a glam styled chorus ala Quiet Riot.

Not all of it sticks though. It's not a case of too fast too flat but just that the songwriting doesn't always do justice to the quality performance of the band's members. It can be incredibly difficult to make this kind of rapid delivery of traditional heavy metal have any real staying power and Enforcer try admirably to bring that about whilst giving clear indication from where they're getting their inspiration. Beyond the fiery solos some nice changes to the tempo in tracks like "Silent Hour / The Conjuration" really aid in recollection and the memorable guitar licks make their presence especially noticeable.

The album's longevity will depend to a great extent on how much you enjoy heavy metal which is keenly aware of the genre's past. Old styled tunes played with a renewed energy isn't something unheard of course but Enforcer manage to do so while maintaining interest with their careful sampling of all things traditional about the genre.