SWORN ENEMY is a band that managed to amaze me with last year's The Beginning Of The End album. I remember listening to that release almost every day (I still catch myself singing the lyrics of Absorb The Lies from time to time), trying to realize where the fuck they were hidden all this time. It seems that their contract with Century Media Records was exactly what they needed in order to become well known to the Metal scene and have the support they need (although Century Media is not famous for its support to its bands).

The Beginning Of The End (watch the All I Hate video below) was the album that helped SWORN ENEMY place their name to the Hardcore/Metalcore map and tour with the likes of SLAYER, HATEBREED, SLIPKNOT, SEPULTURA, UNEARTH and ARCH ENEMY. The band showed great potential and Century Media now releases the band's fourth full-length album expecting an equally good success.

Having been a part of labels like Jamey Jasta's Stillborn Records, as well as Elektra, the band surely knows how the Hardcore scene works. Let's not forget that Jasta always knew what he was doing. Anyway, one year after The Beginning Of The End, the New Yorkers are back with their brand new work, trying to convince us that their success was not only a matter of luck or good promotion. To tell you the truth, they didn't manage to completely convince me, since Maniacal has a completely different approach to the band's sound.

In My personal opinion, says the band's frontman Sal Loco, the new material is some of the best shit we have done to date and it seems to keep getting better. I kind of both agree and disagree with this statement. You can't really compare the new stuff with the band's older material. While carefully observing SWORN ENEMY's new album, I realize that we have a similar case with THROWDOWN's latest release. The NY based metallers still kick major ass, but they have gotten a bit far from their NYHC past. Maniacal is an album that can be characterized as Bay Area Thrash Metal with some Hardcore beatdown moments. Yeah, you can call it Thrashcore if you like. The fact is that the HATEBREED/MADBALL mixture has become more like a combination between TESTAMENT, EXODUS and HATEBREED combination. I can't say that the band forgot how to play some good old Hardcore tunes, but their main influence here is the US Thrash Metal scene.

I believe that if someone liked the new EXODUS album, but wouldn't mind if it had some Hardcore in it, Maniacal will be one of his top albums for the time to come. The production, which was handled by Tim Lambesis (AS I LAY DYING) and Joey Z (LIFE OF AGONY), has helped the band keep the heavy and solid Hardcore sound, while adding some extra sharpness to the guitars to get this thrash-y tone. Anyway, we are talking about a great album that has to be seen as a unique release and not as a crappy ex true Hardcore band trying to get some extra money. You have to check it out.