Band:	Enforced
Album:	At The Walls
Style:	Crossover thrash metal
Release date:	July 19, 2019
Guest review by:	Cynic Metalhead

01. Reckoning Force
02. Skinned Alive
03. Born Lost
04. The Heat
05. Retaliation
06. Brahman
07. At The Walls Of Antioch
08. World Of Pain
09. Civilized Mind

From Richmond, Virginia, comes a crossover thrash blitzkrieg, as Enforced unleashes a set of nine throat-punching tracks comprised of thrash riffs, groove-laden breakdowns, whammy vocals, sizzling solos, and hardcore screams that leave you reeling when the 26-minute assault concludes. The debut full-length At The Walls is a real knockout seamlessly fusing the band's formative years, dating back to 2016. It brings together fully remastered versions of the band's 2017 demos (Demo 2017 and Retaliation), sharpening an already crisp and potent sound and stitching them into a full-length album alongside two fresh tracks from 2018. Enforced sounds impeccably similar to Power Trip, and At The Walls is juiced to an impressive caliber.

The album kicks off with "Reckoning Force"; the tempo surges, fueling the start of “Skinned Alive”— an absolute show-stopper, a barn-burning thrash storm that pulls you into her gravity. The gang shouts on "At The Walls Of Antioch" fit what is a brawl of adrenaline-fueled aggression; lyrically, they aim at the complacency, corruption, and greed running rampant in today’s world, delivering a raw, poetic harshness. The ending of the record, “Civilized Mind”, serves up a Vio-lence-inspired fix: prepare yourself for another thrashing whirlwind.

The promo boldly states, “Enforced picks up where Sepultura and Cro-Mags left off". It's a perfect manifestation of what At The Walls represents: the raw hostile assault of early assault married with crossover hardcore channeling the visceral intensity and political edge. It's short musical carnage that you can rest assured will evade the redemption of misery, affliction, and poignancy.

Easily drawn to Power Trip and early Slayer, with slabs of hardcore breakdown, Enforced provides you a crème de la crème. I feel that with At The Walls, they have cemented themselves as one of the standout acts in the revival of thrash/crossover, exposing a hunger for fire in the genre’s belly. And believe me, it's scorching.

Highlights: "Skinned Alive", "At The Walls Of Antioch", “Civilized Mind”