Enforcer is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

heavy metal band formed in 2004 in

Arvika Arvika is a locality and the seat of Arvika Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 14,244 inhabitants in 2010. Geography The town of Arvika is situated at Kyrkviken, a bay of Glafsfjorden, Sweden's only inland fjord, a remnant of the time ...

. Enforcer plays and performs in a style very similar to older

speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...

bands like

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

and

Anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually forged or cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are as massive as practical, because the higher th ...

. When ''Sweden Rock Magazine'' asked them about playing "old school", they answered that heavy metal is not old school, it is timeless.

History

Enforcer released their first album, ''Into the Night'', through the Heavy Artillery label in November 2008. Their second full-length album, ''Diamonds'', was released under

Earache Records Earache Records is a British independent record label, music publisher and management company founded by Digby Pearson in 1985, based in Nottingham, England, with offices in London and New York. The label helped to pioneer extreme metal by rel ...

on 24 May 2010 in Europe, while Heavy Artillery Records released the album in North America on 25 May 2010. On 1 February 2013, Enforcer released ''Death by Fire'', their third full-length album, in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. They headlined a Belgian release show along with Evil Invaders on 2 February. In May 2022, Enforcer announced on Facebook that American Garth Condit will be their new bassist, following the departure of Tobias Lindqvist.

Musical style

Enforcer is considered part of the new wave of traditional heavy metal (NWOTHM), an ongoing movement that in recent years has seen the return of traditional-sounding metal bands (similar to the Swedish glam metal revival). The name of the NWOTHM was inspired by the

new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

, which the movement strongly identifies with. Other bands considered part of the movement include Steelwing,

White Wizzard White Wizzard is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 2007. They have released one EP and four albums: ''Over the Top'' released in 2010, ''Flying Tigers'' released in 2011, '' The Devil's Cut'' released in 2013, and '' Inf ...

Cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot (kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in religion, mythology, and ...

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...

Skull Fist The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, the ...

and, more recently, Sons of Lioth.

Members

*Olof Wikstrand – lead vocals (2004–present), guitars (2004–2008, 2011–present), bass drums (2004–2007, 2007–2008, 2021–2022), drums (2004–2007, 2007–2008) *Jonas Wikstrand – drums (2006–2007, 2007-present), keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2006–present), bass (2006–2008) *Jonathan Nordwall – guitars, backing vocals (2019–present) *Garth Condit – bass (2022–present) Live members * Chase Becker – bass (2019) * Jonny Nesta – guitars, backing vocals (2019) *Brian Wilson – drums, backing vocals (2019) Past members *Adam Zaars – guitars (2006–2011) *Jakob Ljungberg – drums (2007) *Joseph Tholl – guitars (2007–2019) bass (2007–2008) *Tobias Lindqvist – bass (2008–2021) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums *''Into the Night'' (2008) *''Diamonds'' (2010) *''

Death by Fire ''Death by Fire'' is the third album by Swedish heavy metal band Enforcer. It was released on February 1, 2013, through Nuclear Blast.

'' (2013) *'' From Beyond'' (2015) *''Zenith'' (2019) Live albums *''Live by Fire'' (2015) *''Live by Fire II'' (2021) Singles and demos *"Evil Attacker" (2005) (demo) *"Evil Attacker c/w Mistress from Hell" (2007) *"Night Walker/Take Me to Hell" (2011) *"High Roller/Back on the Road" (2011) *"Mesmerized by Fire" (2013) *"At The End of The Rainbow" (2021) Others *"Nightmare Over the UK (2010) (split album with Cauldron)" Music videos * * * *

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2004 establishments in Sweden Musical groups established in 2004 Musical quartets Speed metal musical groups Swedish heavy metal musical groups