SWORN ENEMY – The Beginning Of The End

The new CD by Sworn Enemy, The Beginning of the End, will get in your face, knock you on your ass and beat you into submission … at which point, you’ll stagger to your feet and ask to hear it again. From the opening scream to the final note, the CD just cranks.

Sworn Enemy is a 5-piece band from Queens, New York, USA that originally formed in 1997, and after a couple of lineup changes, is ready to kick ass with a current lineup of Sal Lococo on vocals, Lorenzo Antonucci on guitar, Paul Antignai on drums, Jamin Hunt on guitar and Edward Kilpatrick on bass. The Beginning Of The End is their second full-length recording following in the wake of As Real As It Gets. No strangers to accolades, they have already toured with Ozzfest in 2003 and are slated to make a TV appearance on MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball as “special guests.”

Their style could best be described as a Hardcore/Brutal Metal mix that they describe as “the new age of Metal,” and they hit the bullseye with their latest album. The music would be compared to having a style similar to Metallica and Anthrax on a heavy dose of steroids, with a singer who’s just had his vocal cords ripped out and kerosene poured on the raw nerve endings. They look like a gang of street thugs, and all New Yorkers should be happy that Sworn Enemy use their Metal as an outlet for their aggression. These guys are the real deal.

The entire album is only 38 minutes long and 11 tracks, which is just long enough to leave you wanting much more. Throughout the entire CD, the music is a pure adrenaline rush, which will have you banging your head incessantly. If you’re looking for Melodic Metal, you won’t find it here. Harmonies? Nope, none of those anywhere. What you will find is raw, unadulterated Metal. There is not a bad tune on the album, and some of the more notable songs include the first song, “Forgotten,” which is just a total jam from start to finish, with thundering guitars and some of the best controlled and fastest double bass work you’ll ever hear. In the beginning of track 4, “Save Your Breath,” you’ll swear there’s a locomotive crashing through your front wall.

In track 7, “We Hate,” you have to love a song that starts with the lyrics, “What I really hate is music like yours. It makes me wanna smash your head through a door.” It makes you wonder who they’re referring to, but you can figure that out for yourself. The last song on the album, “Weight Of The World,” actually ends on a positive note, with lyrics such as “believe in yourself” and “focusing on positive action, break away from this negative world.” Don’t let the lyrics fool you, it’s another hard-driving Metal creation.

If you consider yourself a fan of Hardcore and like your Metal fast and frenzied, you MUST buy this CD. It is recommended that you stop at the medical supply store first, and buy a new neck brace because you’re sure to wear out the old one.

Sworn Enemy will be touring extensively in 2006.