Review by Michael on October 27, 2024.

Yeehaa, time for the crowbar again! Enforced are back with a cool EP and don't have the intention to take any prisoners on A Leap Into The Dark. Brutal thrash with a slight dose of crossover but this time with some more death metal influences, too. So for instance, the title track reminds me a lot of good old Obituary when it comes to the riffing. Also, the ultra-brutal double bass sounds pretty death metal-like, if you ask me. And that really kicks ass. If you enjoyed their three previous full-length albums, you will love the EP, for sure. However, the guys from Richmond, Virginia are a little bit more uncompromising this time. The groovy and catchy parts are scaled back significantly, for this, we have a lot of brutal thrash to find here. 

With the first three songs 'Betting On The End', 'A Leap In The Dark' and 'Deafening Heartbeats' we can listen to some brand new tracks, that all are produced in really good quality and sound. I wouldn't be able to say which one is the best of them because they all are top-notch and full of energy. With 'Casket' we get to listen to an old song back from 2021 which was released as a single and got digitally remastered for that EP. This one sounds pretty rough, don't know what was remastered here, honestly. But this one kicks ass too and doesn't sound too demo-like. With 'Deadly Intentions' they did a cover by Obituary (guess this explains the death metal influences here and there) from their debut “Slowly We Rot” which sounds okay. It is not as stinky and disgusting as the original but acceptable. There are worse cover songs on graveyard Earth. And finally, (and this one turned out much better) they covered 'The Chase Is On' by English Dogs. This one is a really furious bastard of punk and thrash and a great one to completely freak out. That one is a must-have for the mosh pit, hell yeah!!! You can literally smell the sweat, blood, and beer there!! 

My only point of criticism is that Enforced didn't do a new full-length, I still don't like EPs too much because they often are too expensive and doubtful in their existence. So, let's hope for a full lenght in 2025! 

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Michael on October 27, 2024.

Yeehaa, time for the crowbar again! Enforced are back with a cool EP and don't have the intention to take any prisoners on A Leap Into The Dark. Brutal thrash with a slight dose of crossover but this time with some more death metal influences, too. So for instance, the title track reminds me a lot of good old Obituary when it comes to the riffing. Also, the ultra-brutal double bass sounds pretty death metal-like, if you ask me. And that really kicks ass. If you enjoyed their three previous full-length albums, you will love the EP, for sure. However, the guys from Richmond, Virginia are a little bit more uncompromising this time. The groovy and catchy parts are scaled back significantly, for this, we have a lot of brutal thrash to find here. 

With the first three songs 'Betting On The End', 'A Leap In The Dark' and 'Deafening Heartbeats' we can listen to some brand new tracks, that all are produced in really good quality and sound. I wouldn't be able to say which one is the best of them because they all are top-notch and full of energy. With 'Casket' we get to listen to an old song back from 2021 which was released as a single and got digitally remastered for that EP. This one sounds pretty rough, don't know what was remastered here, honestly. But this one kicks ass too and doesn't sound too demo-like. With 'Deadly Intentions' they did a cover by Obituary (guess this explains the death metal influences here and there) from their debut “Slowly We Rot” which sounds okay. It is not as stinky and disgusting as the original but acceptable. There are worse cover songs on graveyard Earth. And finally, (and this one turned out much better) they covered 'The Chase Is On' by English Dogs. This one is a really furious bastard of punk and thrash and a great one to completely freak out. That one is a must-have for the mosh pit, hell yeah!!! You can literally smell the sweat, blood, and beer there!! 

My only point of criticism is that Enforced didn't do a new full-length, I still don't like EPs too much because they often are too expensive and doubtful in their existence. So, let's hope for a full lenght in 2025! 

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on September 17, 2023.

Unhallowed – this is not just the name of this new German force, but also an inspiration for their influence and style. As soon as the mighty opener and title track unfolds its melodic yet malignant elegance, I am standing “in the cold winds of nowhere” and I stare at the “black horizons”. Do I need to say more? Jon N. was probably one of the sickest minds in extreme metal ever, but his musical legacy lives on and so Unhallowed open the gates to broad landscapes. Whoever crosses them feels both pleasant shivers and oppressive horror at the same time. The smooth flow of the songs does not conceal the ingrained blackness of Unhallowed’s art. The intensive guitars build the basis for the dense sound. They flatten everything from time to time, but mostly they create great melody lines.

Okay, the outstanding size of the title track remains unrivalled, but it is not only the desperate and hellish 'Child Of Wrath' which has a lot to say as well. It sparks a maelstrom of emotions and takes the listener on a swashbuckling journey. Or take 'We Shall Reap', it’s nothing less than another very good ambassador of Awaken The Black Flame. Visions conveying guitar melodies meet a core of unyielding hardness. That’s just a very appealing combination. 'Toward The Abyss' shows that the musicians also do not shy away from pretty strict, thundering and double bass driven high-speed parts. Nevertheless, the song stays within the given frame of this debut.

The entire work results in a coherent impression, because Unhallowed see no sense in making risky experiments. I appreciate this attitude, because their style gives enough room for variation and although the band comes out of the blue, the musicians are able to use their options as cleverly as a bartender uses the cocktail shaker. Awaken The Black Flame scores with maturity, but it is not at the expense of vitality. The mix lacks a little differentiation and album does not sound modern, that’s true. Nevertheless, its aesthetics are not covered in cobwebs either. It marks both, a tribute to one of the most influential bands of the nineties and also an autonomous work whose quality is amazing in view of some almost magical melody lines. The only monotonous detail are the sinister, commanding vocals and honestly speaking: I don’t care. They are a stable factor in the sound of this debut and there are enough other bands that deliver clean, heroic or (God forbid!) female vocals. Therefore you will not be surprised that I can recommend this full-length, which is based on well-defined ambitions, with a clear conscience. Perhaps even the confused mind of Jon N., wherever he is now, will understand that this album is a worthy tribute to his memory.

Rating: 8 out of 10