Virginia-based crossover maniacs, Enforced, have released their new album, Kill Grid. In time for the release they are also unleashing a band new video clip for the menacing “UXO”.

Enforced are keeping an important tradition of thrash and punk/hardcore alive though: While their brutal tunes are going to wreck your neck there is more to the band than just entertainment: “This song is lyrically self explanatory”, says singer Knox Colby. “It’s about the cluster bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War. The main focus of the lyrics are about the cultural impact that the unexploded ordnance (abbreviated UXO) has had over the last 50 years. Over 20,000 people have died accidentally from stepping on these bombs that are the size of a softball and scattered over the entire country, which is predominantly covered in dense jungle (last I checked, 35% of the country is still contaminated with UXO). It’s an issue the United States has only recently owned up to, but the government won’t apologize for; it’s shameful.”

Guitarist Will Wagstaff on the music: “ When this song was written I was listening to 2 specific songs on repeat. ‘Dying’ by Obituary and ‘Corporal Jigsore Quandary’ by Carcass. Both tracks are just so driving with the double bass and grooviness and I wanted to try to write something somewhat in that vein.”

Kill Grid came together over a two-year period while Enforced were marauding halls and dive bars across the East Coast and Canada. Indeed, inspiration came from different directions, but playing live with bands like Sacred Reich, Red Death, Iron Reagan, All Out War, and Integrity shaped what was to come out of the Richmonders. While it was the previous output that attracted the attention of Century Media, it’s Kill Grid, that’s going to put Enforced on top-lists of circle pit lunatics around the globe. To track their sophomore full-length, Enforced enlisted long-time friend and studio maven Bob Quirk (Iron Reagan) to engineer, as well as Philadelphia-based studio whiz Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Cavalera Conspiracy, Pissed Jeans, Eternal Champion, Ghostemane, Code Orange) to mix and master.

Order Kill Grid here.

Tracklisting:

"The Doctrine"
"UXO"
"Beneath Me"
"Malignance"
"Kill Grid"
"Curtain Fire"
"Hemorrhage"
"Blood Ribbon"
"Trespasser"

“Curtain Fire” visualizer:

“Malignance” video:

"Hemorrhage" visualizer:

Lineup:

Knox Colby - vocals
Will Wagstaff - guitar
Zach Monahan - guitar
Ethan Gensurowsky - bass
Alex Bishop - drums

(Photo - Morgan Parrish)