Band: Enemy Is Us

Title: Venomized

Label: Bastardized Recordings

Distribution: Bastardized Recordings - Suburban

Release date: 2008

Review: CD

The Swedish formation Enemy Is Us was formed five years ago (early 2003) with the goal to pay tribute to their home country’s Death / Thrash Metal scene. At the end of that very same year, and after hearing the demo Ashes Of The World, Rising Realm Records offered the band a three-album deal. First result was We Have Seen The Enemy … And The Enemy Is Us (2005). After playing with bands as The Duskfall, Carnal Forge and Defleshed, the band started writing material for their second full length, yet in 2006, Rising Realm died a sudden death. It didn’t stop motivating Enemy Is Us and the members continued writing new songs. Together with some assistance of Daniel Bergstrand, this resulted in Venomized, which lasts for forty two minutes. Venomized is a strong album, indeed combining Swedish (old school) Death Metal and Swedish (new school) Thrash Metal, following the universal rules for this kind of Metal. Result: a total lack of originality. Oh my dearest heaviness, I did hear it all before, a hundred of times before. Venomized isn’t a bad album – it is clear that the members (vocalist and Forcefeed-member Ronnie Nyman, bassist / vocalist / co-producer Lawrence Mackrory, known from bands as Scavenger, Darkane, Forcefeed, F.K.Ü., Seethings and so on, guitar players Peter Lindholm and Staffan Winroth, and drummer / 21 Lucifers-axeman Olle Ferner) are very experienced – but there are so many releases that sound just the same, I’m afraid. Think: Darkane, Soilwork, The Haunted, The Defaced, Fear My Thoughts, At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, Withering Surface and so on. Only for the ‘real’ fans with too much money to spent…

60/100

Ivan Tibos.