THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO...ENFORCER Nostalgia (Nuclear Blast)

Nostalgia, the old gag goes, ain’t what it used to be. But Swedish metal machine Enforcer are happy to present their own take on glorious old-school metal via this forty-minute outing which beautifully captures the spirit of days when endless sub-genres hadn’t been invented and metal was just, well, metal. Hell, they’ve even created their own teenager’s bedroom as a companion to their musical party piece:

http://nblast.de/EnforcerNostalgia

Musically, ‘Nostalgia’ is everything you’d expect from this metal-infused quartet. It’s gloriously traditional yet edged with speed: ‘Coming Alive’ pushes the pedal all the way to the floor and screeches off the down the highway with a knuckle-knotting solo, while the title track and ‘Heartbeats’ (with its lively tempo change at the mid-way mark) move the band into traditional Eighties’ power ballad territory. But for those who want to throw the horns rather than wave their phone torch in the air ‘Nostalgia’ has a great deal to offer, with ‘Demon’ and ‘Kiss Of Death’ in the middle order in particular making their presence felt loud ‘n’ proud.

From the opening intro to the ball-busting, pounding finale ‘When The Thunder Roars (Crossfire)’ this is an album with a lot to offer: don the studded wristbands, throw your head back and party like it’s 1984. What’s not to like?

Video clips:
‘Kiss Of Death’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW1wURBA_eg
‘Nostalgia’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhfrJAPbOCY
‘Coming Alive – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjm4OyFrGY0