Enforced - Kill Grid (2021)

With Kill Grid and their signing to Century Media records, Enforced moved on to a sound that was the more archetypal thrash that most would recognize them by. That's not to say they abandoned all of what defined their debut, but wrote a record that was a little less oriented towards the crossover/hardcover aesthetics and meant for sheer head banging mayhem. It's certainly a more aggressive and intense effort than At the Walls, with a mix of of the West Coast sound and, say, Sodom, but there is also a little bit of a death/thrash bite to some of the material, for instance the blazing opener "The Doctrine" reminds me a lot of the Possessed comeback album Revelations of Oblivion, and that's not the only instance, so I think fans of that would be thrilled to check this out.

I also feel like the band is a parallel to Texans Power Trip, whose CDs I picked up but never quite got into as others seemed to. However, they did have a cool, caustic sound to them which is mirrored by the crunch of the guitars and the visceral vocals. And let me tell you, Kill Grid is saturated palm mute heaven, one of the most purely 'thrash' tones you've heard in years, spliced up with loads of wailing mini-leads and then some of the real deal, with a compact, tight rhythm section that works in lock step. They're playing around with a selection of riffs that won't feel novel to any thrasher whose danced around the circle for a few years or more, but they invigorate the material with an infernal energy that is going to snap you to attention even if you forget the songs five minutes later. For thrash, it's pretty brutal and unrelenting, and at some of its best moments (like "Beneath Me" or the intro to "Curtain Fire"), they'll erupt into this Slayer-like pattern which will remind you of just how much you liked where that band was headed in the mid 80s with Reign in Blood.

Some of the riffing structures also give me some Atrophy or Devastation vibes, and elsewhere like "Malignance" you'll hear some vaguely death metal progressions. It all works into the warlike format of the lyrics here, and Kill Grid is entirely consistent, like a level theater of war that never quite reaches a lull or climax, but shells are firing back and forth the entire 41 minutes. It's not boring, ever, and I do think it's a competent and studied example of old school thrash being trampolined into the modern era, but I have to admit that I miss the more vibrant and dynamic debut, with its more effective gang shouts and breakdowns and slightly less monotonous guitar tone. I also felt that one was produced better than this, which is functional but a little dry other than the leads. That said, Kill Grid is not going to let you down if you're into Power Trip, High Command or other modern thrash exemplars with a long road ahead of them if they can continue to refine and entertain.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10] (Riot rhythms of a world take hold)

https://enforced.bandcamp.com/