A Leap into the Dark is a brief holdover for whatever Enforced is headed towards next, but with six tracks, it's at least a little more substantial than some 7" or EP recordings are. The highlights here are the newer tracks, which have a nice punch to them. Not far removed from how the band sounded on War Remains, they've got a slightly cranked up depth of the bass presence, some good leads and riffs that are at least the quality of that full-length. "Deafening Heartbeats" is the most intense of the three, with some death/thrash in the riffing, and some cool riff progressions which work well with the splatters of wild solos. There is also a remaster of the "Casket" single from 2021, which I hadn't heard, but sounds like it belonged on Kill Grid (same year), only the production is a little more violent and booming.
This is capped off with a pair of covers from some pretty difference sources. "Deadly Intentions" is from the Obituary debut Slowly We Rot, and though Enforced do play it pretty close to the original, I found it ironic that they make it sound more like a later 90s Obituary piece, when the Floridians were themselves leaning more into the hardcore that Enforced came from. This would have fit right in on Back from the Dead, but structurally they still nail it. The other tune is the English Dogs' "The Chase in On", which comes from their 1984 EP To the Ends of the Earth. Another fun parallel since that band transformed from punk and hardcore to a more heavy/speed metal style, but Enforced take that cut and brutalize it a little more so it sounds like Doom but with Knox singing. I'd say both of the covers are fun enough to maybe incorporate into a live set, but the more forgettable aspects of this EP, buried by the consistent quality of the three new original cuts. But if you've enjoyed the two albums prior to this one, the material is probably worth throwing the band a couple bucks so they can get coffee or fill the gas tank on a tour.
Verdict: Win [7/10]
https://enforced.bandcamp.com/
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