Album Review: Enforcer – Zenith (Nuclear Blast)

“We do whatever we want and feel totally free when it comes to composing songs,” asserted vocalist & guitarist Olof Wikstrand of legendary Swedish metallers Enforcer in 2015.

“The first thing we agreed on, even before we had any songs for Zenith,” explains Olof, “was to just not do another ‘album’ but to do the biggest heavy metal album of all time without any type of limitations.”

Enforcer’s new album, Zenith will be released on April 26th 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

It’s an interesting assertion that Enforcer wanted to make the biggest metal album of all time when it came to Zenith. It’s a bold statement and certainly the kind of thing you want to be hearing from a band who has been plying their trade for 15 years. Go big or go home and it’s our pleasure to say that Enforcer certainly go big here.

The ten tracks on Zenith are stadium-rocking metal tunes. Ones that conjure up images of bright lights, pyro, Enforcer stalking the stage commanding seething crowds of rabid fans. All throwing the horns and in full voice for the energetic Die For the Devil.

A proper old-school metal opener, it’s a hefty throwback to the heady days of the 80s where the hair was big and the leather was tight. A grin-inducing start.

The smile won’t fade as Zenith of the Black Sun’s riffs come screaming out of the darkness and Searching For You races along at an impossibly fast speed.

Regrets is unsurprisingly a power ballad, one that has sweet piano melody and mellow vocals before kicking into a higher gear for a hell of an uplifting chorus. A blast of a ballad that will get many a lighter out.

It’s back to head-banging next though with The End of the Universe and Sail On, the latter in particular really going to the well of 80s hair metal. Probably the least interesting of the tracks on the album but at least it’s short.

Powering onwards though, Enforcer continue to make sure their ‘biggest heavy metal album of all time’ claim is realised with the guitar-force of One Thousand Years of Darkness. The absolute shred-fest at the end is great fun. Not that Thunder and Hell isn’t pulling a shift and a half too when it comes to that as well.

Forever We Worship the Dark is the penultimate track and brings a chest thumping drum beat and uplifting battle music. A track to get the blood well and truly pumping. Before we close out with something of an epic. Ode to Death clocks in at just under 7 minutes, beginning with subtle and distant melody before increasing in tempo for a more methodically heavy finale.

Enforcer set out to make the biggest heavy metal album ever and while if they succeeded is open to debate, there is no denying the quality of Zenith.

Enforcer – Zenith Full Track Listing:

1. Die For The Devil
2. Zenith Of The Black Sun
3. Searching For You
4. Regrets
5. The End Of A Universe
6. Sail On
7. One Thousand Years Of Darkness
8. Thunder And Hell
9. Forever We Worship The Dark
10. Ode To Death

Zenith will be available via all major streaming services on the 26th April but can also be ordered via Nuclear Blast here.