When listening to the music of Richmond, VA, Crossover Thrash/Hardcore outfit Enforced, or when witnessing their live shows, it is hard to believe that they have been a band for only two years. If one was to judge based only on the songwriting or on the confidence that they display on stage, you could be forgiven for assuming that they’ve been around for a long time.Their sound is reminiscent of contemporaries such as Power Trip or Foreseen and legends such as Leeway or Best Wishes/Alpha Omega era Cro-Mags more than of the other type of Crossover, à la DRI or Municipal Waste. That means tons of heavy, mosh inducing riffs and a lot of anger. If you’re into that stuff. and if you’re reading The Thanks List, chances are that you are, At The Walls, Enforced’ recently released full length album, is one of the best in the genre to have come out this year. We had the chance to see them live recently and we can both attest, here at TTL, to the power of their live show. It is definitely a high energy affair, so make sur not to miss them on tour with Red Death next month (see dates below).
Name five songs that you consider “perfect songs” and explain why or what they mean to you.
Knox:
TERROR – Out of My Face.
First Terror song I heard when I was 13 and is a perfect modern hardcore song. Heavy and mean and doesn’t relent.
BAD COMPANY – Bad Company is a perfect song. It’s perfect for almost any occasion. Wedding, funeral, driving, nap time? Put that song on and enjoy your day.
HAROLD BUDD – Bismillahi ‘Rrahman ‘Rrahim off of Pavilion of Dreams. The saxophone kills me in that song.
Will:
CROWBAR – Will That Never Dies
Kirk Weinstein is one of my favorite lyricists and this is a song I remember being inspired by. The riffs are so chunky and powerful and the lyrics just add to the strength of this song. I love Crowbar more than anything they have all the doom and metal along with lyrics that anyone can relate to – powerful stuff.
PHIL COLLINS – In The Air Tonight
This song builds up and up with the lyrics and general atmosphere and it’s a classic
PRINCE – Purple Rain
This song is another one that has massive build up and is absolutely devastating – if you want to feel horrible in a good way listen
METALLICA – For Whom The Bell Tolls
Intro by Cliff Burton? Sign me up. This is a classic Metallica songs and one of the first ones I really got into. It’s not super fast or anything but it’s just written very very well.
RAINBOW – Man on the Silver Mountain
Rainbow is an Enforced staple, we always are listening to Rainbow in the van and this is awesome driving music, and offers a good vibe to just drive and sing along to.
Which music genre do you listen to the most? List your five favorite albums in that genre.
Knox:
Rock N Roll, baby. There’s so much to dig through and learn about songwriting and Rock n Roll history. Faves:
KISS – Animalize
ZZ TOP -Tres Hombres
CREAM -Wheels of Fire
THIN LIZZY – Jailbreak
Alex:
Also Rock N Roll. There’s never a bad time to listen to it, got your slow songs, got your fast songs, and a little everything in between. Faves:
THIN LIZZY – Black Rose
MOTÖRHEAD – Overkill
T. REX – The Slider
ZZ TOP – Tres Hombres
DOKKEN – Under Lock And Key
Will: I would say the genre known as ‘Guitar Based’ Music. Lots of Rock And Roll, Metal, Punk, Hardcore, Pop.
1. PRINCE – Purple Rain
2. QUEEN – The Works
3. OZZY – Blizzard of Ozz
4. TROUBLE – Psalm 9
5. PHIL COLLINS – No Jacket Required
Top 5 favorite vocalists:
Knox: PHIL LYNOTT
FREDDIE MERCURY
PAUL STANLEY
OZZY OSBOURNE
TOM WARRIOR
Top 5 metal guitarists:
Will:
1. JEFF HANNEMAN – Everything he did was an inspiration. Being very influenced by Punk and Metal is something that meant a lot to me when I was learning about SLAYER too. The only person who is better at down picking than him is JAMES HETFIELD.
2. RANDY RHOADS – Riff god as well as solo-ing god
3. JAMES REILLY/DEREK SYKES – This band these guys are in, DEMOLITION HAMMER, is very underrated. Riff gods and they do incredible lead work all while destroying the stage. They’re like a ZERO bull shit version of Slayer – no evil, witchy stuff here just straight up brutality.
4. KK DOWNING/GLEN TIPTON – Another incredible combo – Hard Rock/Metal riffs and leads like no one else, they know how to make love to the guitar.
5. JERRY CANTRELL – from ALICE IN CHAINS – he does a lot of interesting guitar work but always can hold it down with the riffs/leads. He does most of the song writing and being able to hold it down as a songwriter as well as doing riffs/leads everywhere is a super valuable skill. You have to know your place in the band and be able to shine when you’re needed. Definite puppet master as far as his bands are concerned.
What’s the album you’ve listened to the most in your life? Do you still listen to it?
Knox: Most in my life? Maybe a tie between CROWBAR – Odd Fellows Rest, THIN LIZZY – Jailbreak, and BLACK SABBATH – Paranoid. I listened to that Crowbar album for almost a year straight from July 2012-May 2013. Jailbreak has a great range of songs and every song is a hit.
Alex: It’d have to be a tie between Overkill by MOTÖRHEAD, or Black Rose by THIN LIZZY. Both are my fallback records when I’m not sure
Will: I still listen to all the records I’ve listened to the most. I would say the one I’ve listened most to is probably Reign in Blood. I hate to say it and it sounds cliché or maybe too on the nose but it’s got to be true, I know pretty much everything about that record.
What are some of your favorite song lyrics? Lyrics that have been important to you or that had an impact on you?
Knox: The lyrics to Gollum’s Song by EMILIANA TORRINI off the LOTR soundtrack are incredible. So disheartening and sad and angry all at once.
“…So in the end I will be, what I will be.
No loyal friend was ever there for me…
And you will weep when you face the end alone
You are lost!You can never go home…”
BRIAN ENO – By This River off of his Before and After Science LP are great too. Very simple and calmly delivered.
“…You talk to me as if from a distance and I reply
with impressions chosen from another time,
From another time.”
Will: There are so many lyrics that have shaped me and I think it really depends on what type of mood I’m in. For a long time I only listened to pretty much instrumental music/Albini Post Hardcore type/Touch and Go records type stuff. The vibe of the lyrics are a huge part of what get me to love or just be “meh” on a band. My favorite lyricists would be:
- KIRK WEINSTEIN
- PRINCE
- JAMES HETFIELD
- JEFF HANNEMAN
- PHIL COLLINS
Do you have an absolute all time favorite band or musical artist? What makes them so special to you?
Knox: I would have to say BRIAN ENO. He’s been a consistent artist I’ve listened to for the majority of my life. His contributions to other artists like Talking Heads, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, U2 the list goes on and on. He’s such an essential piece in music history.
Will: I’ve more recently been appreciating people who are just the full package. Prince, Phil Collins are probably both up there for me. They do all their writing, they can play all their instruments, they have a clear vision, they inspire everyone around them to be their best. Also Queen, for similar reasons. In terms of metal, Judas Priest, Ozzy, Celtic Frost, Sepultura, Slayer, Bolt Thrower that kind of sums it up.
What are your ten favourite albums of all time (all genres)? Name a standout track on each of these albums.
Knox:
BRIAN ENO – Neroli.
SEPULTURA – Chaos AD – Nomad
IRON AGE – The Sleeping Eye – The Sleeping Eye of the Watcher
THE MELVINS – Houdini – Hag Me
OZZY OSBOURNE – The Ultimate Sin – Shot in the Dark
DOKKEN – Tooth and Nail – When Heaven Comes Down
GODFLESH – Songs of Love and Hate – Hunter
UNSANE – Scattered Smothered and Covered – Out
CURTIS MAYFIELD – Curtis – Move On Up
MIND ERASER – Conscious Unconscious – BOTH SONGS
Do you remember the first time you really appreciated an album or a song?
Knox: THE BEATLES – While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
Will: TOOL – 10,000 Days – I was in middle school and I remember buying that album because I LOVED DANNY CAREY. I remember being into the normal tracks at first like the more rockin’ ones but I remember learning to love the entire record as a cohesive unit.
What were you listening to in elementary school? then in high school? How have your musical tastes evolved since?
Knox: In Elementary school I was listening to a lot of METALLICA, KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, LED ZEPPELIN, AEROSMITH and THE BEATLES. In school it was strictly Hardcore and all the sub genres that branch off of it (TARPIT, DOWN TO NOTHING, TERROR, BRACEWAR, CITY OF CATERPILLAR, THE LOCUST, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE and a lot of SOME GIRLS).
My taste hasn’t changed too much, I’m just more open to checking out other options, genres, ideas and perspectives everyone has to offer.
Will: In elementary school I definitely was listening to like PHIL COLLINS, TOM PETTY, PAUL SIMON, JACKSON BROWNE, kind of just normal like singer-songwriter stuff my parents listened to. Lots of Pop Country as well. I started branching off probably in early middle school when I took up drums and was super into like DREAM THEORY, TOOL, AT THE DRIVE IN, MARS VOLTA, etc. I loved people who were incredible at their instruments. I transitioned that into more like listening to Pop Punk – GREEN DAY, BLINK 182, RAMONES, AC/DC, stuff that was more “pop”. In high school I was listening to all that stuff plus had gotten into British New Wave type music, ECHO, JOY DIVISION, NEW ORDER, MORRISSEY, SMITHS, COCTEAU TWINS, as well as a litany of 90s Post Hardcore/Math Rock, all the ALBINI music, SLINT, DON CABALLERO, SHELLAC, JESUS LIZARD. Getting into all that stuff definitely primed me for getting into Hardcore/Punk/Metal when I moved to Richmond. I still listen to pretty much all of that stuff today.
What beloved music do you share with your parents (or children if you have kids)? Any specifics memories?
Knox: My mom and I share BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPLIN, THE BEATLES, some R&B and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. My dad and I don’t really talk about music or share interests in music. I’ve shown him some stuff he’s enjoyed like RANDY NEWMAN and some FATHER JOHN MISTY.
Will: My parents are big on music and the impact music can have on your life and expression in general, but I wouldn’t say they are huge into “listening to music”. Stuff like PHIL COLLINS, JACKSON BROWNE, TOM PETTY, PAUL SIMON could be appreciated by the both of us. The best memory I have is when I was in 6th or 7th grade, like 10-12 years old and I had just gotten that TOOL record and they played in NC and my dad dropped me and my friend at the time off at an arena and was like “have fun”. It was one of the most bad ass shows ever and I was so appreciative that he took us and that he let us just go by ourselves to a show.
Most memorable show you’ve ever seen? What makes it stand out?
Knox: I saw THIRD EYE BLIND, THE GOO GOO DOLLS and VANESSA CARLTON when I was 11 or 12 and that was sick. Vanessa Carlton said “fuck” and everyone got in a huff about it. It was a lot of fun. SLAYER was sick as hell, they were everything I expected and more.
A really important show I saw was DOWN TO NOTHING and COLD WORLD at the Nancy Raygun in 2005? It was the first show I went to in Richmond and it was super packed and the most wild and violent thing I had experienced.
Will: Straight up that TOOL show I described in the above section. The first few Hardcore shows I went to in Richmond I think definitely were important in forming my outlook. I also saw MY BLOODY VALENTINE in 2008 and that was a pretty incredible experience . They hadn’t played any shows yet and so that was like their first show in 20 years it was awesome.
Is there any band that you’ve always wanted to see live but never had the chance to catch them? Any classic show that you wish you could have experienced?
Knox: I had the chance to see THE SMASHING PUMPKINS in the late 90s, but my parents weren’t cool with it and then The Smashing Pumpkins broke up in 2000! I was so pissed. I wish I saw THE MELVINS at Amoeba. I saw a video of that and it was a perfect.
Will: The OG PANTERA. Any of the head bangers ball Donington fests – I’ve watched all those videos so many times.
What is the most impressive band you’ve toured with? The one that you just had to watch every night? Did you learn anything from them/by watching them?
Knox: Touring and hanging out with SACRED REICH and IRON REAGAN was fun and informative. Phil Rind told me some vocal techniques that have helped a lot and the dudes in IR helping us in the business side of touring and the industry.
Will: SACRED REICH was super impressive. I think the band I learned the most from was when the other band I’m with right now (RED DEATH) toured with POWER TRIP. Those guys are as pro as they come. They’d always be at their sound checks, always change their strings on time, they were just on the ball and showed me how professional a tour could run and still fuck around and have fun.
Is there any classic / universally acclaimed artist that you missed out on when they first came out and discovered way later? Any artist that you didn’t like at first and learned to appreciate over time?
Knox: I used to really dislike SEPULTURA when I was young (I think I heard Roots when I was 8 or so and wasn’t digging it). Once I finally listened to all their albums before, Roots made more sense and I’m a huge Sepultura fan now. Shame on 8 year old me; what an idiot.
Will: Most people get into Metal pretty early so I think I’m kind of late on everything, but I think I didn’t really understand how to appreciate artists like KISS and KING DIAMOND at first. MOTLEY CRUE is the same way – you have to get into the artists vibe in order to fully appreciate them and I think for those couple it took a little while/watching some videos, etc to get into it fully.
Do you have an artist that you love in a genre that you don’t usually listen to? What makes them stand out?
Knox: I don’t listen to much Rap or Hip Hop but I love the Hypnotize Minds roster and the whole Memphis Rap Scene (THREE 6 MAFIA, 8BALL, MJG, EVIL PIMP, etc).
Will: ^ same – always in high school I was listening to THREE 6 MAFIA, DJ PAUL, JUICY J, PROJECT PAT, etc., and that stuff has a spot in my heart forever.
What band or artist do you believe has achieved the most flawless sequence of 3 records in a row?
Knox: SEPULTURA – Beneath The Remains, Arise and Chaos AD
Which artists (2 or more), dead or alive, and from what era, would you dream to see collaborate?
Knox: ICE T and ENFORCED
What albums have been on heavy rotation lately?
Knox: THE BERRIES – Berryland
Will: MADONNA – Like a Virgin, DEF LEPPARD – Pyromania , SHEER MAG – Distant Call
What are some up and coming artists that you would recommend?
Knox: IN BATTLE from Richmond, VA. Hopefully a demo or recordings come out soon. Super impressive band live.
Will: DEAD HEAT – Crossover from Cali, DESTRUCT – D-beat Raw Punk from Richmond, IN BATTLE – Richmond Metal, ASM – cave man shit from Richmond, CND – Metal/Crossover band from Florida
What are you listening to right now, while answering these questions?
Knox: THREE 6 MAFIA – When the Smoke Clears
Will: COCTEAU TWINS – Blue Bell Knoll
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