Enforced left a big impact with 2019's At The Walls, and they've now given us multiple tastes of their anticipated new LP, Kill Grid, out 3/12 via their new bigger label Century Media. Pre-order the LP now on black vinyl, and listen to "Hemorrhage," "Malignance" and the just released "Curtain Fire," below.
As we recently said, the new single "gives you everything you want from punk-informed thrash, and it makes this decades-old genre feel fresh."
ABOUT "Curtain Fire"
"Also known as 'the creeping barrage,' curtain fire is an artillery tactic used in tandem with advancing ground troops", singer Knox Colby explains. "It's meant to soften up defenses or wipe them out completely. The lyrical narrative is on the defending end of curtain fire; ruminations on the death of soldiers, their grieving families, and how they'll eventually be forgotten through time (a folded flag in a garage). The last few lines flip to the perspective of the attacker. With a very apathetic and unsympathetic attitude towards all the damage created, paving a parking lot over the conflict."
"This song came together from the supernova of many other riffs/versions of the song. It was originally an up-tempo fast metal beat type of song. We kind of scraped that when we came up with the intro and realized it could be a really catchy song. Knox's lyrics work perfectly with this song and make it extremely catchy along with the head bashing and solos," guitarist Will Wagstaff adds about the song.
ABOUT "Hemorrhage"
"The first half is about the death of innocence, or the death of an innocent person, due to the surge of distrust, outrage, and skepticism of a society", says Knox Colby (vocals). "While people arrogantly and pompously saber rattle over trivial things, real people are getting hurt and caught in the crossfire." Guitarist Will Wagstaff further explains: "Musically we wanted to write a song that was driving and pummeling and the original vibe to the beginning was 'Death Camps' Cro-Mags inspired. This was one of the first songs written and completed for the album," states ENFORCED about the track.
ABOUT "Malignance"
While the video is capturing the raw, but positive energy of an ENFORCED live show the song itself has a very serious tone. ENFORCED vocalist Knox Colby states, "'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."
Like At The Walls, the new album was mixed and mastered by Power Trip collaborator Arthur Rizk, and it was engineered by Bob Quirk. ENFORCED is Ethan Gensurowsky (bass), Zach Monahan (guitar), Knox Colby (vocals), Alex Bishop (drums), and Will Wagstaff (guitar). Pre-order the vinyl HERE.