MP3: Enforcer - Katana
Enforcer wisely ditched the kitsch and the cracker-jack clothes for their sophomore album "Diamonds", a fine example of classic quality Heavy Metal done right. Which is not to say they excised all of the corny glamness, but the bit that remains is played for fun, not ironic laughs. When I first came across these dudes I was worried they were less than full devotees, however, the more I listen, the more I'm convinced that they're doing it right. They'll never regress to blue-collar denim-clad street toughs and you can still pick out copycat riffs all over the place, but I doubt they care -- they're definitely going for a Tokyo Blade kind of thing, complete with Japanese fascination as evidenced by songs like "Running in menace" (chorus: "See you in Tokyo / Out in the city") and today's mp3 pick, "Katana". This is the centerpiece of the album for me; not only is it the longest, most epic track, it's also way catchy and features a ton of great guitar breaks during the long instrumental mid-section. Great backing vocals too, a definite plus and an under-utilized genre hallmark. It's not quite cool enough to recommend shelling out for the lame picture disc on , but should you come across the UK version on white from for a decent price, I say jump on it. Picture discs are lame anyhow, classic metal like this is not. Do not mix.
Enforcer - Katana