Enforsaken
The Forever Endeavor

March 2004
Released: 2004, Olympic Recordings
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Lord of the Wasteland

The Gothenburg sound is alive and well right here in North America. Chicago’s Enforsaken mix COLONY-era In Flames and At The Gates with traditional American metal to create a listening experience like no other. The melodic death vocals coupled with searing solos and catchy dual guitar riffs put THE FOREVER ENDEAVOR atop my list of “ones to watch” in 2004.



“Dead Night Dead Light” is the standout track on the CD, with furious double bass from David Swanson and an excellent vocal from Steven Sagala. The riffs will stick in your head for awhile as this is a well-crafted song. “The Acting Parts” is the most reminiscent of In Flames’ sound with the twin guitar attack and clean vocal choruses. “All or Nothing” retains the clean vocal style during the choruses, as well. “Poison Me” is a good thrasher with a slower middle section and an amazing solo. More thrash can be found on the first track, “Tales of Bitterness” at around the 3:26 mark.



If you question the interest this band has garnered even among its peers, Dark Tranquillity’s Niklas Sundin did the cover, Shadows Fall guitarist Matt Bachand got them their break by signing them to his label for their 2000 EP, EMBRACED IN MISERY and James Murphy (Obituary, Testament, Death) mastered THE FOREVER ENDEAVOR and even did the solo on “All For Nothing.” With support like this, Enforsaken has some pretty solid references!



It’s nice to see a band so brazenly wearing their metal influences on their sleeves. Most groups would shun any comparisons to In Flames based on their latest efforts, but Enforsaken embrace the qualities that we once loved about the band and has brought it back, American-style. If In Flames is out there somewhere, listen to THE FOREVER ENDEAVOR and remember how great you once sounded.



KILLER KUTS: “Dead Night Dead Light,” “Poison Me,” “The Acting Parts”

Enforsaken
The Forever Endeavor

April 2004
Released: 2004, Century Media
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Anders Sandvall

THE FOREVER ENDEAVOR is the debut from the young and hungry Enforsaken from Chicago USA. The average age in the band is 25 and despite their young age they have been a part of the metal underground scene for the past 5 years. Enforsaken was formed in 1998 by guitarist Steve Stell. He achieved some national attention with a 2 track demo that soon resulted in enough members for a steady line-up. The band recorded a 6-tracker entitled “EMBRACED BY MISERY” in 2000. This was meant to be a demo, but it was released in both Europe and the USA. With this EP things started to happen for Enforsaken including several rave reviews. When Century Media bought the Chicago based label Olympic Records, Century didn’t hesitate to give the band a worldwide deal. This resulted in their official debut “THE FOREVER ENDEAVOR”.



This debut was co-produced by Chris Djuricic and mastered by the metal legend James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Testament etc.). James also appears on the song “ALL FOR NOTHING”. The sound is brutal and aggressive but somewhat melodic in certain parts as well. Enforsaken plays melodic death metal with a lot of tempo changes influenced by heavy metal. They also manage to put in a great amount of the renowned “Gothenburg sound”. By that I mean that their music has big similarities with Swedish acts like At the Gates, In Flames, Soilwork etc. Sometimes the similarities are so strong you’d almost think that this is a Swedish band.



I have no favorite song on the CD, every song is strong and has big potential to become this year’s best debut album. Not only has the Gothenburg sound traveled to U.S. (which feels pretty good for me since I am from Sweden) the cover is also made by a Swede. Niklas Sundin (In Flames, Arch Enemy etc) has made an excellent cover that mirrors the music well.