Virginia-based crossover maniacs ENFORCED open their Century Media account with their blistering new album, “Kill Grid”. Informed by an incredible cross-section of extremes—from thrash and punk to death metal and hardcore—the emergent outfit drop a nine-song cluster-bomb of thrashing death on apathetic times. After already releasing “Hemorrhage” right before the holidays the band is unleashing an official video for “Malignance” which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/qRbJSmKjgww
While the video is capturing the raw, but positive energy of an ENFORCED live show the song itself has a very serious background. Knox Colby (vocals) explains: “’Malignance’ is about being on the wrong side of history, being led down the path of an ideology built on hatred and violence, only to end up with a bullet in your stomach. The lyrics about-face towards the end of the song and try to shake you out of it. Wake up, get a grip, understand and accept that you’re wrong. The chorus was inspired by a World War 2 prisoner-of-war torture tactic I read about. Soldiers who were captured were forced to smell the bodies of their friends and comrades, which became this strange introspective psychological torture that fit the narrative I was writing.” Guitarist Will Wagstaff dives deeper into the music: “This song has an older Slayer type of vibe to me, maybe ‘Show No Mercy’/’Haunt the Chapel’ era. This is a pure crossover song, ala Exodus/early Testament/Slayer. We knew we wanted to keep it fast for most of the song and it ended up coming together organically during a practice.”
First preorders are already up for you “Kill Grid” which is scheduled for a release on March 12th, 2021: https://enforced.lnk.to/KillGridID
The following formats are available:
100 x olive green LP+CD via CM Distro onlineshop
200 x clear LP+CD via CM Distro wholesale and onlineshop
200 x bright gold LP+CD via EMP and Coretex Records
200 x red LP+CD via the Band
black LP+CD
In the US the black LP comes without a CD
Digital Album
“Kill Grid” came together over a two-year period while ENFORCED were marauding halls and dive bars across the East Coast and Canada. Indeed, inspiration came from different directions, but playing live with bands like Sacred Reich, Red Death, Iron Reagan, All Out War, and Integrity shaped what was to come out of the Richmonders. While it was the previous output that attracted the attention of Century Media, it’s “Kill Grid”, that’s going to put ENFORCED on top-lists of circle pit lunatics around the globe. To track their sophomore full-length, ENFORCED enlisted long-time friend and studio maven Bob Quirk (Iron Reagan) to engineer, as well as Philadelphia-based studio whiz Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy, Pissed Jeans, Eternal Champion, Ghostemane, Code Orange) to mix and master.
Formed in Richmond in 2017 out of shreds of disbanded hardcore and punk bands, ENFORCED quickly found their calling between the undying support of regional punk/hardcore scenes and their respective record collections. Whether it’s Sacred Reich and Integrity or Bolt Thrower and Amebix, “Pure Crossover Death,” as ENFORCED call their devastating din, devastatingly speared its way through two demos (“Demo 2017” and “Retaliation”) and their no-holds-barred debut, “At the Walls”.
Make sure to check out “Hemorrhage (Visualizer Video)”: https://youtu.be/cLh5Cyy-KAY
Line-Up:
Knox Colby – vocals
Will Wagstaff – guitar
Zach Monahan – guitar
Ethan Gensurowsky – bass
Alex Bishop – drums
ENFORCED online:
www.facebook.com/enforcedrva
www.instagram.com/enforcedrva