Enforcer – Nostalgia

7/10

The greatest advantage for retro 80’s heavy metal bands like Enforcer is that they always seem to have a great talent for capturing the sound of the original 80’s bands. Also that this seems to be a sound so great, it’s close to impossible to do anything wrong with it. Enforcer, in particular are good at this, and can also add other great qualities beyond that, like Olof Wikstrands fantastic high pitch voice, which all together makes them one of the most talented bands in the scene.

The greatest disadvantage, however, is that while the original heavy metal bands of the 80’s were doing something new at the time, the retro bands of today and are rather just copying a sound than creating it. Therefore, they can do really good stuff, but they are also tied to the chains of nostalgia, and are therefore not likely to reach the greatest heights the genre is capable of.

The force of opening track Unshackle Me sends chills down my spine, and that pure energy lasts all the way trough the album, even though the band are pushing their limit with 13 tracks (9 or 10 would be perfect). The riffs, the performance, the energy and the sounds are all pitch perfect. There’s just that little thing missing to release that greatness that the classic bands achieved, especially when it comes to the chorus. I have always thought Enforcer has been standing on the verge of greatness, and Nostalgia is just another example of that. Perhaps we shouldn’t expect the band to give us a Wheels of Steel but seeing how they are at least capable of making several Power and the Glory, so I’m not ruling out anything. These guys know their stuff.

Like on the bands previous album, Zenith, my favorite song is the ballad. The melodic quality of the title track is powerful and has just the right tension and nerve of the early 80’s ballads, the kind that existed before the commercialized power ballads took over. It strikes me that the melodic power of this particular song, and especially its memorable chorus, might just be that last piece of the puzzle that could unlock the rest of the album if repeated. What I means is the band could just capture that powerful song writing and infuse that into their heavy metal songs, it could just put all the pieces together and enable the band to create truly masterful heavy metal hit tunes at the great heights of their idols.

At least, that’s what I think. Either way, Nostalgia is a very good album, and Enforcer proves once again to be one of the best retro heavy metal bands out there. Always slightly more talented, and a bit sharper than the others. And always, on the verge of greatness.