Show Review: Enforcer and Warbringer Reach Their ZENITH While FIREPOWER KILLS Tampa!
One of the best heavy metal tours of 2019 hit Tampa, Florida at Crowbar on October 14. Warbringer and Enforcer joined forces, bringing power and aggression throughout North America. The tour is 54 days with no days off. However, that didn’t stop both bands from playing the best set I ever witnessed from the both of them.
Before talking about Enforcer and Warbringer, let’s discuss the bands that started the show. Tampa had three local openers. The first band I unfortunately missed. They’re called From Darkness Arise. I actually saw them before and they’re pretty solid.
The second band was a surprise for a heavy metal and thrash-stacked lineup. Spit is a grind band but they definitely delivered a killer set. Honestly, they’re my favorite out of all of the local bands that played that night.
At least for me, grind has the tendency to get redundant. However, Spit played a diversified set and kept their whole set interesting. They had great stage presence and left the crowd on their feet the whole set.
I’ll definitely continue following this band!
The last local support was Otherworld. Honestly, I didn’t like this band as much as Spit. They’re at a cross between heavy metal and radio rock. While some bands pull off the mainstream metal style, this band didn’t really sound like they have found their sound.
Overall, the band didn’t have any songs that stood out to me. Their overall sound was very generic. The band members stood still and weren’t really enticing. I would give them another chance if they improved on these aspects.
The one positive thing I’ll say is their lead guitarist is very talented. He played killer solos and he played them perfectly. However, I didn’t care for his vocals. His vocals are caught between growls and cleans. I usually appreciate that vocal style; however, his sounded very awkward and didn’t fit it with the rest of the music.
Now time for one of my favorite modern heavy metal bands: Enforcer! I discovered them rather recently, when they released their last album From Beyond. All Enforcer fans compare their sound to speed metal and New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). Honestly, everything about Enforcer is authentic to me. Sure, you can listen to all Enforcer albums, from Into the Night to their newest album Zenith, and you can identify every song as an Enforcer song.
This is my second time seeing Enforcer and honestly it was the best time I saw them live. They captivated the crowd the minute I heard the familiar intro to the song “Destroyer.” Immediately, the band was expressive, full of energy, and enticed the crowd to join in on singing and chanting.
My favorite Enforcer album is Diamonds and I was happy to hear some of my favorite songs, such as “Live for the Night” and “Midnight Vice.” They also played amazing tracks throughout their discography; classics such as “Scream of the Savage” and newer material such as “Zenith of the Black Sun.”
It’s always fun watching vocalist and guitarist Olof Wikstrand perform. He gets into every song, running all over the stage and making crazy faces at the crowd. I imagine it’s difficult playing an instrument and singing at the same time. Olof makes it look easy!
I also want to give a shout out to my friend Brian Wilson, who’s filling in on drums for Enforcer for this tour. Brian is such a talented drummer; his resume is already extensive at his young age and he plays drums for bands and artists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Hellwitch, and Midnight Spell. Enforcer is also his favorite band, so this opportunity is a huge deal for him. He played every song perfectly — anyone can identify the passion in his playing and how much he loves Enforcer’s music.
The crowd absolutely loved Enforcer! Everyone was singing, cheering, and doing the “falsetto” vocals. Whenever Olof commanded the crowd to do anything (chant, sing, etc.) the crowd always responded. Crowbar has a back area where people smoke and drink. No one was back there — everyone was inside watching Enforcer! And for a Monday night, the show attracted a decent turnout.
Warbringer closed the show. And their aggressive and forceful sound was the perfect way to end the night. The once falsetto-singing crowd that Enforcer attracted suddenly turned into a ravenous pit as moshing filled the floor.
This isn’t my first time watching Warbringer live and I always enjoy their set. I’m not as familiar with their music as I am with Enforcer’s. But they played a good mix from their whole discography — from newer songs such as “Firepower Kills” to older songs such as “Combat Shock.”
This band definitely knows how to make a crowd go nuts! Especially vocalist John Kevill; his dominating stage presence will make anyone weak in their knees.
Overall, both Enforcer and Warbringer blew me away. They’re probably enduring one of the most grueling tours I’ve ever heard about. However, both bands put in 150% and stole the show! I can’t wait until I see these bands perform again.
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