It seems that genre fluidity is becoming increasingly prolific on the metal scene as bands, especially the young and up-and-coming ones, are breaking the mold and creating their own niches. Such is the case with German four-piece ENEMY INSIDE as their upcoming third album, “Venom,” is a heavy and distorted affair. The record will be released on February 28th, 2025, via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). Check out our interview with ENEMY INSIDE here.
The album blends a variety of styles that shouldn’t really work together, yet somehow the individual songs work and flow together nicely. Through the six singles released in anticipation of “Venom,” fans could already grasp the sonic spectrum it covers. The likes of the power track “Sayonara” – with its Japanese flavors, upbeat tempo, electronic sounds, and rapped verses – or the featuring with Zak Tell of CLAWFINGER for Halloween anthem “F*ck That Party” – which features distorted riffs, expressive vocals, and frantic melodies – are among the most energetic tracks on the album and I’m sure they will be a blast when played live. Conversely, such singles as the balladesque “What We Used to Be,” the quasi-tender “Should Have Known Better,” or the introspective “Don’t Call Me an Angel” fall more in line with the sound they have developed on their earlier album, “Phoenix” (2018)and “Seven” (2021), being melody-driven songs that also boast some heavy instrumentals, razor-sharp riffs, and electronic soundscapes that only enhance Nastassja Giulia’s haunting vocals.
The band’s main aim with this album was to keep their catchy melodies but make the music much heftier and aggressive by incorporating harsh vocals and intense breakdowns. As such, the end result is a very dynamic, distorted, and robust studio effort that sways between melody and aggression and showcases the band’s versatility and desire to push boundaries. It opens up with the high-octane title track, “Venom,” whose rough soundscape blends Nastassja Giulia’s harsh vox with melodic cleans on top of a frenzied melody, everything being capped off by a hooky chorus. The second guest vocalist to grace the album is Mirza Radonjica of Danish rock band SIAMESE, and his presence on “Dirt On My Name” gives it some emotional depth and makes it feel more like a duet than a simple featuring, though the heavy breakdown distances it from feeling too ballad-y. Then there’s Davey Suicide whose cameo on “I’d Rather Be Dead” adds a sense of gravitas to the music while the breathy vocals and electro soundscapes give the track a certain lightness that collides with the heavier instrumentals.
Even if the two guitarists – Evan K on lead guitars and Dave Hadarik on rhythm guitars, as well as bassist Dominik Stotzem, deliver an incredibly tight performance across the board, it is Nastassja Giulia’s diverse and varied vocals that elevate the album’s strident sound design. The aforementioned singles “Sayonara” and “F*ck That Party” have already displayed a wide variety of vocal styles that she just nails, while “Don’t Call Me an Angel,” or “What We Used to Be” ride high on her emotional and grounded vocals. It’s not every day that a vocalist expands an album’s soundscape to such a degree as she does here, and such an impactful vocal performance should be spotlighted and celebrated, so let us give credit where credit is due.
On the other hand, ENEMY INSIDE have developed an incredible way of brutalizing their songs as many start off in a gentle and delicate manner only to ramp up in intensity, especially after the bridge, and pummel the listeners with intense and heavy breakdowns and “Innocent” delivers spectacularly on this formula. It may seem like a rather straightforward track with a solid rhythm section and more breathy vocals that are juxtaposed by a harsh vox, but that breakdown really takes things up a notch on the heaviness scale. “Unburn” follows the same path of building up to an explosive bridge section though the track also sports some killer basslines and digitized vocals that add extra texture to the fold. The closing track “Let Me Go” feels grounded in electro music as it boasts digitized vocals, synth-laden beats, and an overall hazy atmosphere, which is a great way to wind down this album.
All things considered, “Venom” is the type of album meant to suggest ENEMY INSIDE is now ready to play in the big leagues as it could be an early contender for the heaviest album of the year. The German quartet pushed the boundaries of their sound by incorporating vicious breakdowns and, thus, crossed over into metalcore territory with confidence (heck, there’s even the famous ‘blegh’ sound somewhere on the album). However, “Venom” is much more than just a bunch of metalcore and modern rock tracks as the band also plays around with a lot of synth-driven and industrial soundscapes, and employs a variety of singing styles, so pigeonholing this album is not going to be easy, which, in my experience, is a good thing for any band. The bottom line is that this is ENEMY INSIDE’s most adventurous and animated studio effort yet and Christoph Wieczorek’s (ANNISOKAY) skillful and punchy production value only makes everything feel much more vibrant.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
1. Venom
2. Should Have Known Better
3. Sayonara
4. What We Used To Be
5. F*ck That Party (feat. Zak Tell)
6. Dirt On My Name (feat. Mirza Radonjica)
7. Don’t Call Me An Angel
8. Innocent
9. Unburn
10. I’d Rather Be Dead (feat. Davey Suicide)
11. Let Me Go
Lineup
Nastassja Giulia | vocals
Evan K | lead guitars
Dave Hadarik | rhythm guitars
Dominik Stotzem | bass
Label
Reigning Phoenix Music
