Much has been written on metal and hardcore websites about the evolution of
Sworn Enemy, who came out of New York City's hardcore scene in 1997 and became increasingly thrash metal-minded as time went on. This 2007 recording/2008 release definitely turns up the thrash factor, drawing on influences like
Slayer,
Exodus,
Megadeth, and
Anthrax. But
Sworn Enemy haven't forgotten their hardcore roots; in fact, "thrashy metalcore" is probably the best way to describe
Maniacal, which was produced by Tim Lambesis (of
As I Lay Dying fame) and guitarist Joey Z. (
Life of Agony). Lead singer Sal LoCoco still sounds like a hardcore/metalcore vocalist; he screams and yells his way through this 34-minute CD, never failing to sound angry and rage-filled. And
Sworn Enemy have no problem making metalcore and thrash sound like a perfectly logical combination because that is exactly what they are. It's true that hardcore and thrash had different beginnings; hardcore was a direct offshoot of punk, and thrash came about when headbangers were influenced by punk and starting playing a lot faster (
Motörhead was arguably the first thrash metal/speed metal band, and the likes of
Venom,
Slayer, and
Metallica weren't far behind). Essentially, hardcore was punks acknowledging metal, while thrash was metalheads acknowledging punk -- and on
Maniacal, punk and metal elements unite to create a loud, vicious, head-kicking sensory assault. There are, of course, numerous bands engaging in metalcore-related activities in the 21st century, but the thing that ultimately makes
Maniacal worthwhile is the band's ability to come up with a fair amount of strong hooks. Perhaps working with
Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta taught them the value of hooks --
Hatebreed, after all, has had some of metalcore's best hooks -- and while
Maniacal isn't quite as consistent as it could have been, it is still a generally decent example of
Sworn Enemy's ability to thrash their way through metalcore. ~ Alex Henderson