ENEMY are a group who should have no trouble ascending the ranks as soon as they find the time to put their mind to it. The band roster reads like a veritable dream team of underground legends with former Failure and current A Perfect Circle guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen taking on the role of both guitarist and vocalist, former Handsome bassist Eddie Nappi reprising his 4 string duties and former Quicksand drummer Alan Cage leaving his distinct percussive mark. From this collaborative meeting of the minds comes a beautiful amalgamation of both post NY hardcore and Failure reminiscent melody that melts into one, creating a sound that is catchy, intelligent and addictive.
Troy's vocal abilities may have been hinted at in the past with backup parts in Failure and A Perfect Circle, but this demo goes to prove that those are but a mere fraction of his talent as he sounds like quite the accomplished vocalist here, crooning with a slightly detached melodic flair that sounds like a cross somewhere between Jay Gordon of Orgy and former Failure frontman Ken Andrews. A strong range is put on display and notes are hit effortlessly with a humble honesty as intriguing lyrics paint vivid pictures and use the same curious innuendoes that allowed groups like Failure to make their music so verbally intriguing. Guitar work is also quite similar to his playing in Failure, using screeching delicate tones and notes that slowly spread out like a hypnotic ethereal mist during the verses, before plunging through the lingering remains with pointed riffs that are as focused and sharp as high powered headlights in the dead of night throughout the choruses. The bass playing included is also interesting, using hard hit notes that support the riffs and ambient guitar noises with a slightly off time dynamic that helps give the songs depth while also keeping the listener on their toes. Percussion wise, there are definitely shades of Quicksand shown, as skilled beats stylishly accentuate the off center bass riffs with heavy cymbal usage and crackling snare work that relies heavily on oddly timed hits that show off drummer Alan's talent while also making the songs all the more alluring.
Indeed this demo is something that shows great promise, taking the epic, huge sounding song structures of Failure and packaging them a bit differently, using shorter, more colorful Handsome styled progressions. The music is talented and hooky and the band have definitely found something that will take them wherever they want to go. But don't be confused, as they are by no means a sequel to any of the members past bands, as even though traces of their former duties do rise to the surface occasionally, they do so in such a graceful and vague manner that they just add to the energy of the songs and the conviction that they contain. There's a few things that do unfortunately hold the band back at present though, one being the feeling that the songs sound a bit rushed, having definitely not reached their full potential yet as they seem to have a somewhat loose jam room nature. This is most likely a result of each members busy schedules and something that will undoubtedly be cleared up shortly as more time to concentrate on ENEMY becomes available to them. Another slight downside of the group is their choice of keeping a modest tempo throughout each song. There's a lot of emotion lurking underneath the surface, but due to their tepid pace, it never seems to be able to fully escape and this is probably yet again a result of the project being rushed. Still, in time this group will without a doubt be one that revives hope in the hearts of fans of intricate hard rock with post hardcore tendencies and will hopefully once again bring some great music back to the forefront. There's an old adage that states "keep your friends close and your enemies even closer." If this demo doesn't make such a statement ring true, perhaps nothing ever will.
