A Leap into the Dark

vote
6.5

• Bands:
  ENFORCED
• Duration: 00:19:02
• Available from: 10/25/2024
• Label:

• Century Media Records

Enforced's new EP, “A Leap into the Dark”, was essentially created with the aim of providing the group with fresh material to promote during their European tour supporting Gatecreeper. In just nineteen minutes, the group puts together a selection of unreleased songs, an old single and a couple of covers that offer an effective overview of the influences behind their sound.
The most intriguing part is obviously represented by the new songs: “Betting on the End” and the title track “A Leap into the Dark” rework that combination of thrash and hardcore that characterized the band's early days, with very streamlined riffs and a simple and effective structure, capable of best restoring that energy and that cheeky crossover character on which Enforced have built their style. Both pieces recall the edgy and outspoken attitude that got them noticed in the first place, in a return to a more dynamic sound than their latest productions.
With “Deafening Heartbeats” you can feel the influence of the style instead slayerian which the band developed in the latest album, “War Remains”. The song remains more faithful to classic thrash, with a tight pace that pays homage to the giants of the genre. This song seems to want to confirm the solidity of the direction taken in the previous album, without moving away completely, at least in terms of attitude, from the hardcore roots of the band.
To complete the tracklist, a remastered version of “Casket”, a song originally published on flexi disc for Decibel Magazine in 2021, and two covers which reflect some of Enforced's fundamental influences, on the metal and hardcore punk fronts. The band pays homage to Obituary with a massive version of “Deadly Intentions” and celebrates 1980s British hardcore with “The Chase Is On” by pioneers English Dogs. The two tracks not only add variety and length to the collection, but also allow us to better understand the musical background that forged the sonic identity of the American kids.
Overall, “A Leap into the Dark” therefore does not offer sensational innovations, but, especially with the initial hat-trick, it manages to effectively entertain and enriches Enforced's repertoire, confirming them as a solid and reliable presence in the current crossover/thrash panorama.