Here it is…100% thrash metal PERFECTION! I was hoping that ENFORCED would rise to the challenge…and they have! These Virginia hellhounds have made a strong argument with Kill Grid that they are the rightful heirs of SLAYER. This album is full of the same balls-out intensity that made Hell Awaits and Reign In Blood classics.
You doubt me? Slip this sucker in, hit play, and prepare to be battered and bruised by a whirlwind of steel! ‘The Doctrine’ starts with a medium crunchy build before exploding into pure holocaust of speed and intensity. Did ENFORCED blow their wad early? Along comes ‘UXO’ to cast your doubts into the furnace. These guys are locked into the pure essence of thrash metal undiluted by any other influence…sure, there are nods to SLAYER and SLAYER-ish riffs pop up throughout the record, but Jesus, SLAYER is done anyway and Kill Grid is better than anything they’ve done in the two decades.
These guys know exactly when to inject a “stalking” kind of chug riff or cut loose with dive bombing guitar solos. This album actually gains power as it rolls along…the best songs are all on the second half, although the first side is certainly not shabby. But when the band hits the rage of the title track, ‘Curtain Fire’ and ‘Hemorrhage’, they are at the peak of the powers and in the meat of the album. Kill Grid is like Reign In Blood or Pleasure To Kill in that it leaves little room for you to breathe.
I’ve got a feeling these guys have got what it takes to reach the next level of thrash supremacy fans are demanding. Welcome to the age of ENFORCED and prepare to die!
Review By: Dr. Abner Mality
ENFORCED
Kill Grid
Century Media
5 / 6