Enforcer, Nostalgia (2023)

 

By SoDak

Null calls me up telling me he is obsessed with a band called Enforcer. He really liked the cover, so he bought their record Nostalgia. He remarks that they have a traditional heavy metal sound, with flourishes of Iron Maiden and others. All weekend, he is listening to it, subjecting his partner to the record. Two days later, a package arrives at my house, containing the Enforcer CD. Dutifully, I listen to the record several times and write to Null. 

Dear Null, 

I received the Enforcer CD. Thank you for sending it to me. It is a nice surprise. I remember the cover, perhaps from a review on Banger TV. I think it was the suggested pallet cleanser for one of the monthly recommendations. As you noted, the songs rock. The band is quite fascinating as they blend so many aspects of 1980s metal. The traditional aspects are present, especially given the guitar work. Enforcer also has a lot of hard rock and hair metal aspects, but from the more energetic and edgy aspects of these genres. To me, this is most apparent in the high pitch of the singer’s voice on certain songs, such as “Heartbreaker.” To me this is not a negative, as there are plenty of bands in this camp that I liked, especially those that are not forced into commercial, mainstream production. On the ballad “Nostalgia,” there is an interesting mix of metal from the 1980s, but there are moments within the song when the singer’s voice has a Freddie Mercury waver. It is subtle and takes place for just a few seconds, which is very interesting. I like the sweeping, epic singing on many songs. This record reminds me of all the cassettes that I had as a kid, especially those by bands that never got popular but were more interesting as a result. The Enforcer songs are raw, rocking, and quite fun, as there is an edge to them. I have listened to the record three times today, and I keep finding gems within the songs. The guitar leads are excellent, especially on “No Tomorrow.” The chorus on “At the End of Rainbow” is very catchy. This may sound odd—I hear a lot of early to mid-period Scorpions on some of these songs, but Enforcer is not as polished. Plus, there are so many other influences that are mixed into their songs. This record takes me back to being a geeky elementary and junior high kid, who was obsessed with hard rock and metal. I did not have too many friends at the time who also liked this type of music. I would go to the record store to flip through the import bin, hoping to find something intriguing or something that I saw in the back pages of Hit Parader. I would have definitely bought this record based on its cover. Thank you for sharing this music with me. It is great fun. 

Yours,

SoDak