Band:	Enforcer
Album:	Diamonds
Style:	Heavy metal, Speed metal
Release date:	May 24, 2010
Guest review by:	Cynic Metalhead

01. Midnight Vice
02. Roll The Dice
03. Katana
04. Running In Menace
05. High Roller
06. Diamonds
07. Live For The Night
08. Nightmares
09. Walk With Me
10. Take Me To Hell

With their sophomore effort, Diamonds, Sweden’s Enforcer reemerged to build upon the vibrant foundation laid with their brilliant 2008 debut, Into The Night.

We're still in familiar territory with their speedy, melodic and NWOBHM-inspired style sounding an awful a lot like early Iron Maiden minus the punky influences. The only main difference to be found here is the band slowing things up a bit, drawing from early Def Leppard; this suits their catchy compositions nicely, and results in an album that retains the high-octane energy of its predecessor with a confident nod to the genre’s broader spectrum.

With Diamonds, Enforcer seems to have clearly set out to make a more consistent and rounded album than debut Into The Night, and with it seems to have caught stride of their goal. Albums are made of songs, and Diamonds has a few, such as opener "Midnight Vice", which embodies the sleazy vibe of a raucous night on the town with nothing to lose, a feeling stolen from Anthem. Tracks like "Nightmares" or "Live For The Night" are almost straight off Dokken's Tooth And Nail, a combination of rougher songs like "Don't Close Your Eyes".

However, the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence, as "Roll The Dice" and "High Roller" come across as duds, hindering the momentum while the majority of songs keep the album's pace set at pedal to the metal. The album is cohesive and direct, clocking in at just under 40 minutes, while each track is carefully crafted to maintain a balance between speed, melody, and nostalgia. “Katana” particularly stands out as a remarkable example exhibiting the band’s ability in welding storytelling with musical dynamism.

For revisionist heavy metal with a touch of flair, Diamonds presents itself as a good addition to any collection. It offers a familiar foundation, while managing to inject a sense of character that prevents it from feeling purely derivative. This is a quintessentially a heavy metal release—quirky, bold, and not without its share of controversies. That said, Diamonds doesn't quite stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the newer releases that perfectly channel the "fist-in-the-air, air-guitar-to-the-heavens" ethos of classic metal. Despite being mired with issues, like straining too hard to force out some 80s heavy metal anthems, dull production and fillers, there lies within the potential for a truly great album.