Classic American Heavy Metal!
Enforcer – Classic Chicago Metal (25th Anniversary Release) (Stormspell) 2009
DISC ONE (1984 Demos)
1. High Treason (4:33)
2. Salem's Curse (8:09)
3. Final Conflict (7:07)
4. Born To Avenge (2:54)
5. Bury The Knife (5:47)
BONUS TRACKS
6. Fate Worse Than Death [instrumental/rehearsal 4 track] (4:40)
7. Enforcer [instrumental/rehearsal 4 track] (4:59)
8. Meltdown [rehearsal] (5:04)
9. Winter [early version of ‘Metal Till Death’/rehearsal] (3:36)
10. Final Conflict [rehearsal] (7:52)
11. Transmit The Power [rehearsal] (4:24)
12. Syndrome [rehearsal] (3:08]
DISC TWO (DVD)
1. Rumors Of My Demise
2. Bury The Knife
3. High Treason
4. Salem's Curse
5. Destiny
6. Born To Avenge
7. Final Conflict
8. Metal Till Death
Not to be confused with the Enforcer from Albuquerque, NM, or the newer Enforcer from Sweden, this enforcer hails from Chicago, IL and were formed in 1982. “Classic Chicago Metal” is a compilation of material from Enforcer that had not previously been available on CD. The first five songs consist of demo studio material from 1984, all digitally remastered by the band's guitarist. These five tracks are solid slabs of American, classic heavy metal. Back in the day, they might have even been called a power metal band, on par with bands like Jag Panzer, Metal Church or even early Savatage. Actually, the opening track "High Season" has a strong resemblance to early Savatage, right down to the powerful, high vocals. The production is raw, but not distracting. The raw production only adds to the power and intensity of the music, much like early Raven. The epic "Salem’s Curse" picks up the tempo a bit, but has a lot of variation in tempo throughout. While the overall song is fast, there are some slower, doomier parts mixed in as well. "Final Conflict" see the band moving away from the power metal sound and playing pure doom metal that would please fans of Candlemass or early Trouble. "Born to Avenge" kicks up the tempo again bringing the band back to that classic power/speed metal sound, complete with screaming vocals and . The demo ends with "Bury the Knife" a mid-paced number that reminds me slightly of Canada’s Exciter. Overall, these five demo songs are oustanding and really make me wonder what this band might have been able to do if afforded the opportunity to record a full length album for a label like Metal Blade or Shrapnel.
On top of the demo tracks, the CD has been expanded with seven previously unreleased rehearsal songs from guitarist Brian Lee's archives. Two of these tracks are instrumental ‘works in progress’ while the others were pre-production rehersals for the demos. According to the liner notes, these songs were unedited and are basically recorded live. Tracks 6-12 recorded in rehearsals in Illinois, 1984-1985, tracks 8-12 are live, unedited recordings from a rehearsal in February 1984
Stormspell Records, never pinching a penny when it comes to their release, has a great package here including an 8-page full color booklet with classic photos, lyrics, a write-up by guitarist Brian Lee and killer cover artwork. Also included are a DVD all five original demo songs and three more which are not on the CD. All together, this CD release is one of the best re-releases of 2009. A must for fans of the early, classic years of heavy metal.