Enforcer – Zenith
April 26, 2019
Nuclear Blast Records
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 4 years since the release of Enforcer’s magnificent From Beyond album. The band tour hard for that album and even took North America by storm putting one of the best fucking metal shows I’ve ever seen. From Beyond was such an epic fucking album and I was dying to see how Enforcer would follow this one up.
In 2019, Enforcer returned with Zenith and, as always with a band like this, I had high standards set for this album but I was going in with a totally open mind. The opening track, “Die For the Devil,” was so much the BANG that I was expecting but I have to say that I really enjoyed this one. This track seemed to really beckon back to the NWOTHM days and I really enjoyed this song. “Zenith of the Black Sun” followed and I really loved this song. I loved that the band wasn’t afraid to show their Dio influence on their sleeves because this song sounds like it could’ve been a lost Last In Line track or something.
“Searching For You” was definitely what the doctor ordered as this definitely sounded more like the Enforcer I know and love. Don’t get me wrong, I totally loved the shift in direction Enforcer had on the other songs but it was just nice to hear a sampling of that signature Enforcer sound that I love so much. “Regrets” is where things got a little weird for me. While I’m all for bands branching out and trying new things, a piano-laden power ballad just isn’t the sound for Enforcer. Again, I respect them for making such a bold move but this was a miss for me.
The closing track, “Ode to Death” was a pretty decent way to close out the album but I have to be honest and say that this definitely wasn’t Enforcers finest moment. I just didn’t feel like it stood strong against the rest of their catalog and it just didn’t meet the high standards I had set for this album. That being said, I didn’t hate Zenith and honestly, I’m looking forward to hearing some of these songs live to see if my mind may be changed.
I have to give Enforcer credit for going out of their comfort zone and to try something different. Enforcer’s influences are definitely more broad on this album and while the weaker tracks didn’t really hit me really hard, that first three songs are an indication that they had a vision but didn’t quite fulfill it. Zenith is an album that didn’t blow my mind right out the gates and like some albums it may be a grower. At the end of it all, Enforcer to me is like pizza; even if it’s not spectacular, it’s still pretty fucking good.
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