Review by Felix on December 5, 2019.

Deströyer 666 are back. The alarming news is that only band leader KK survived. A completely new line-up supports him. But stay calm. The personnel changes do not cause any damage. Deströyer 666 have forged a pact with the God of vicious metal and with their fans as well. The fundamental orientation has not changed. A mix of black, thrash and mega-intensive heavy metal sends its shockwaves while benefitting from a dense, vehement and pugnacious production. Despite the long period of silence since the publication of the last regular studio album, the horde has nothing loss of its force. The band believes in toughness, intensity and robustness. Aside from this, the musicians have the capability to vary their approach in order to deliver a suspenseful album. However, one element is omnipresent. The malignant, beastly aura ensures the homogeneous appearance of Wildfire.

The band has created a handful of brilliant compositions. From my narrow-minded point of view, the strongest songs are naturally those where the dudes act as if there were no tomorrow. The title track and the opener taste like the most effective energy drink which is amplified by almost unhealthy flavor enhancer. These songs rely on truculent fundaments of pure heaviness and flattening riffs, while guitar eruptions contribute another facet of insanity. It may sound pretty trite, but Deströyer 666 spit on any form of compromise. Attack is the best defense and the four-piece embodies this motto in a very credible manner. The purity, the stubbornness and the f**k-off-attitude of their approach set my pulse racing. The two aforementioned thrash metal thunderstorms underline the exceptional position of the Australian legend. The guys can be very intransigent, but they always avoid drifting into pure noise. No doubt, KK controls the chaos.

Yet there are more soon-to-be-classics to discover. "Live and Burn", kicked off by belligerent riffs, is another rough diamond. Needless to mention that it also offers an impenetrable jungle of guitars which creates an intensive listening experience. However, the song has another outstanding feature. The rather mid-paced number scores with its triumphant, almost catchy chorus. Speaking of mid-paced pieces, I must also mention the fantastic "White Line Fever". It proves that Deströyer 666 do not lack of musicality. No need to panic, this does not mean that they present softened melodies. They rather combine thrilling melodies with their typical harshness. Almost fragile leads show up occasionally. They are accompanied by the extravagant performance of drummer Perracide who contributes well-accentuated drum rolls and KK adds fairly melodic vocal lines. To avoid misunderstandings: he is able to manage this surprisingly harmonic tones. It is therefore no problem that he rarely uses his voice in a pretty melodic way. But do not confuse his mighty "ooohooohooohooo" with the approach of these trendy Vikings that have long beards instead of long ships and play electric guitars instead of folkloric instruments.

The four described pieces and the equally impressive, almost epic "Hounds at Ya Back" form the spearhead of an album that reflects pure fanaticism. I do not want to disguise the fact that a very small number of songs fails to reach the highest level of quality. Anyway, the overall picture is highly fascinating. The authenticity of the band leader and his henchmen ennobles even the slightly weaker tracks. Instead of thinking about the profitability of their music, the members of the gang are focused on the creation of pure metal. Small restriction: solely for commercial reasons, the "deluxe digibox" offers a bonus track. Regardless of the fact that this piece lasts only three minutes, it is not surprising that "Deathblow" did not find a place on the regular edition of the album. It is neither a letdown nor a highlight, a solid track. But its most important function for the band - or its management - is obviously that it serves as a unique selling point for the digibox. Is this approach compatible with the often praised "values of metal"? You decide. However, with regard to the non-excessive playtime of the regular album, they should have add this song on every edition of Wildfire. Anyway, there is no need to over-dramatize this point; Deströyer 666 have composed a very intriguing fifth full-length. It cannot be described as groundbreaking, but it cements the well-deserved reputation of the band.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Adam M on March 3, 2016.

Destroyer 666 perform a fast and aggressive combination of black and thrash metal. It is very vivid and harsh in its nature. The guitar riff attack is quite prominent in this release and shines through. It’s these riffs that form the backbone of the music Destroyer 666 plays.

The music is rough and tough and this leads to a distinctive sound compared to say, Immortal. That music is icier and less destructive in nature. The comparison bodes well for the band because they add the thrash aspects to their music with much vehemence. This music has a repetitive feel that is similar to that genre, but keeps the black metal portions shining through. The title “Wildfire” is very appropriate for the style of music here because it has a fiery nature. This leads to the harsh aspect that is more prominent than in Immortal’s work. There is a particularly raw sound to the band that would have a very strong aura within the early thrash recordings. This thrash style has a large legacy and it’s something that Destroyer 666 capitalizes upon. There are numerous small tidbits that point to early Slayer material as there are with the comparisons to Immortal. The nature of having thrash and black metal in equal measures is something that is almost a pioneering vision for this band. They are adept at mixing the two genres and this resonates strongly in the music.

Still, there is something holding this back from being stellar. Maybe it’s the fact that it sounds a bit too standard without enough innovative directions taken. This is something that could be alleviated on future recordings from this band. Though sounding typical, the music still sounds well done and performed, however. Wildfire is something that thrash and black metal fans need to check out, but not so much from fans beyond those genres.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Fran on June 6, 2023.

Because this record is fucking ballistic! The band’s drummer uses a double bass drum pedal on some sections to help build rhythmic tension but he plays the pummeling d-beat on the fast sections as if he had just one pedal, contributing to the Texas hardcore influence on the band's sound. Double bass drum parts are never as fast as in machine-like modern metal, so the old-school spirit is right there at all times. The bass guitar doesn't have enough definition to actually stand out by itself but it adds a nice metallic touch to the riffs on the mid-high frequencies and of course, it helps anchor the drums with the guitars on the low end. A slightly distorted bass that you can feel rather than hear seems like a normal choice for a band trying to achieve a cavernous sound, though.

The riffing itself is super influenced by Jeff Hanneman's chromatic sense of melody as well, especially when they try to add higher pitches to the fast guitar parts. But when the breakdowns kick in you can feel the hardcore influence takes a central role, you can feel that groove from Prong, Merauder; that kind of influence. Overall, the execution of the riffs is clean as a katana's cut. They are relatively simple in shape but with that level of execution, they sound so clear you can almost see them coming out of your headphones. Lead guitars are pretty simple too, there aren't lots of solos on Enforced music anyway and you get to that part they usually rely on tremolo picking and that's it. The vocals are strongly influenced by Riley Gale as well, with the same mid-pitched raspy and angry voice that still lets you understand every word.

Enforced fate is to fill Power Trip's shoes, the similarities between both bands' sounds are uncanny. Being formed in 2016, after the release of "Manifest Decimation", you can even say that Power Trip was a big influence on this Richmonder quintet. But, instead of merely copying the style from the Texan band; Enforced took it to a different level, on the verge of death metal. More fuzz and distortion on the strings and vocals, and a meaner approach to the same hardcore punk undertones distinguish Enforced from its competitors. That's why they label themselves as Pure Crossover Death, a tag they have definitely earned.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Greg on April 19, 2023.

'It’s almost ten minutes shorter than our last record and packs ten times more of a punch.'

I wish I could just drop this phrase from frontman Knox Colby and leave it like that, as it tells almost everything you need to hear about Enforced's latest effort War Remains. Note the emphasis on that 'almost' though, 'cause it's not that the band suddenly got all that pissed off – their previous offering Kill Grid was a personal disappointment, especially when compared to all the expectations I built upon its apparently universal acclaim, but if there's one thing it didn't lack at all, it was pure rage. Granted, you can't just release a stripped-down, rude crossover thrash album while also sounding friendly and non-threatening, but they always appeared convincing enough in what they did nonetheless.

Fast forward to 2023, and the band returns, doubling down on that factor, but also, and mostly, bringing to the table their best and most inspired set of riffs to date. Their heavy Power Trip/Slayer influence is still there, with a slight reduction of the latter (thus, less dissonant, squealy solos, luckily), yet Enforced appear determined to tread more extreme grounds here, certainly helped by Colby's delivery, now more and more confidently ferocious in his Max Cavalera impression, with the occasional nod to the unforgotten Riley Gale (R.I.P.). Reprising the quote at the top, War Remains is short and concise, already solving one of Kill Grid's main drawbacks. Also, having abandoned the idea of beating Power Trip at their own game, there's a lot more experimentation with tempos, and most songs take their time to build up before going full throttle – almost as if they stretched the blueprint for the predecessor's final triplet to the whole LP, much like a modern equivalent of "Realm Of Chaos". Songs like the title-track and 'Starve' sound simply menacing right out of the gate, launching into rapid-fire attacks shortly thereafter, with the occasional breakdown tailor-made for the live setting as well ('Hanged By My Hand').

All this, of course, does not mean that War Remains doesn't hit you like a goddamn freight train at full speed, my naive friend. Should bangers like 'The Quickening' or 'Avarice' seem, for some reason, not outright fast enough for you, look no further than the very first track, for starters. 'Aggressive Menace' is a truly explosive opener, an even more immediate and condensed version of the already volatile 'The Doctrine', and I was sold almost instantly. Not to mention later highlight 'Ultra-Violence', which can possibly wipe out the (once good) Italian band of the same name in its mere 2 minutes. And to reiterate: this stuff isn't just intense, frontal assault all the way through. Even marginally weaker cuts like 'Empire' are still jam-packed with excellent, breakneck riffing that simply hurts. It's not a surprise that the only completely mid-tempo number ('Nation Of Fear') failed to win me over, but it's a short detour, if nothing else.

If you, like many, thought that Kill Grid was already AOTY material, this review is probably of no use for you, as you'll already be patiently waiting for your pre-ordered copy to show up in your mailbox. But if you were somewhat unimpressed with the band so far, War Remains might just finally change your mind. It goes without saying that we can finally listen to a worthy successor of "Manifest Decimation" and "Nightmare Logic". A fair step below, but there nonetheless.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Michael on April 9, 2023.

Slayer is dead, long live Slayer ehh Enforced! The quintet from Richmond bangs from the first second on their third album War Remains and has a lot of anger in the belly. Already the grim opener 'Aggressive Menace' swings the acoustic crowbar and lets the listener feel it violently. What the guys deliver here is incredibly intense and brutal thrash, which is made even more intense by Knox Colbys' rough and mega pissed vocals.

Stylistically, not much has changed compared to the two previous albums, which is good, because At The Walls and Kill Grid were both already strong. Maybe the songwriting has become a bit catchier and more varied, as for example the pre-released song 'Hanged By My Hand' proves. This song is a gripping thrash grenade that Slayer couldn't have written better. Their influence can be heard everywhere, be it in the hook lines or in the solos. However, Enforced also takes the foot off the gas pedal here and there, which does not detract from the brutality. Thus, a creeping song like 'War Remains' with its tough opening riffs but very much for a certain tension and gives the listener the expectation that something is about to happen (which it does). Between these two extremes, there are of course a few mid-tempo stompers, which are also really fun and also give the listener a good beating. 'Nation Of Fear' is a good example of this, the song impresses with its catchiness and still remains ultra brutal due to the shouted out vocals. Likewise the closer 'Empire', which reminds of the very old Slayer from the vocal lines and partly reminds of the guitars even quite after Death in "Leprosy" times. Brutal and uncompromising! I could rant for hours about the other songs, but I think everyone should make his own listening impression of the album and before I give away too much, I'll leave it here.

However, just to mention the production, it is well done as it was on the previous albums - everything here is where it belongs. No underproduced instruments or anything that is overdriven, this is a modern but timeless and punchy balanced affair. So, I can confidently say that Enforced once again put out a great album with many varied songs and a wide range of speed and with War Remains are a hot contender for the thrash throne of the year. The only point of criticism is the short playing time of just under 33 minutes, which goes by twice as fast as normal due to the quality of the album and you are forced to press the repeat button on the stereo. But who likes "Reign In Blood", will love War Remains, I'm sure. Now crowbar and schnapps out and the whole thing again!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10