EnforcerEnforcer hail from the heavy metal hotbed known as Sweden, and the combo's hook-packed style of songwriting is a welcomed change of pace from the deathcore and screamo infiltrating the current underground scene.

Lead by vocalist Olof Wikstrand, Enforcer caught the attention of the metal literati with their 2008 debut album, 'Into the Night.' That record's unapologetic mid-'80s channeling material had fans hungry for the days when bands like Cloven Hoof and Accept were churning out albums every other year.

Last week, Enforcer released 'Diamonds,' their sophomore full-length. From the opening charge of 'Midnight Vice' to the closing chords of 'Take Me to Hell,' the record doesn't betray the band's already rock solid reputation. 'Diamonds' is the kind of album that will lead younger listeners to seek out older albums by the bands that influenced Enforcer, and have the 35-and-up contingent reminiscing about the days when heavy metal meant more than energy drink-sponsored tours and social networking statistics.

Noisecreep spoke with Wikstrand about 'Diamonds,' and he set the record straight about their audience demographic.

Your first album, 'Into the Night,' got a lot of older metal journalists excited. Are the audiences at your shows reflecting that age gap or do you generally get a younger crowd?

I don't think we only attracted older journalists. We got great reviews from all kinds of people. You don't have to be old to be wise -- you know? People who appreciate honest and genuine music appreciate us. The audiences at our shows are normally very varied, but most often it's more young people than old people and we love that. That's our future, and it feels great to see that there are so many younger people with freewill and their own taste of music. I think there are a lot of teenagers and people in their early 20s out there that are fed up with all of that commercial crap that most of society is listening to.

On 'Diamonds,' you worked with producer Rikard Lofgren. He's worked with a wide variety of acts, and he's got a great track record with more melodic types of bands like Mama Kin and Le Mans. How much influence did Rikard have on the material? 'Diamonds' has some huge hooks on it.

We had almost every single note written when we entered the studio, so he didn't have much to say about the songwriting. But it was great to have him there to bounce ideas off of. He really managed to help us do our very best and get the most out of our songs. He pushed us really hard, and it was worth it. He's a killer producer to work with, and his passion for all kinds of music is inspiring.



The folks at your record label made it a point to mention that 'Diamonds' was recorded on 100 percent analog studio equipment. How important was this aspect of the sound to the band?

We wanted to do it the real way -- without any shortcuts. I have worked a lot with analog recording before, so it was very natural for us to choose that type of gear. I don't know if it had a huge impact on the overall sound of the album or not -- it's more of a feeling and vibe in the music. It's the best way to get the kind of spirit we are going for in Enforcer.



The last time we spoke, you talked about not being interested in involving any kind of political stance in your lyrics. What inspired the songwriting this time out?

I hate politics, and for us to bring that s--- into heavy metal would only embarrass me. Some of the songs are inspired by things that have happened in our lives, and some are even loosely based on books or movies. But the constant themes that we explore in our lyrics (sex, violence) are there again.



Did the way crowds react to certain songs off your last album influence the way you wrote the material on 'Diamonds' at all?

No, because it all comes down to us writing what inspires us first. The last thing I care about is what other people think. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have been into this kind of music from the beginning. The music is for us, and if people get into it, then that's cool. But we come first.



Are there any plans to come back to the States in support of 'Diamonds' yet?

Yes, we are planning on another tour there. I have no detailed plans at the moment, but we're working on getting there in late 2010/early 2011. We'll see what ends up happening, but our American fans can count on us returning there to support 'Diamonds.'

Do ever get sick and tired of being asked about your vintage influences?

I always know what to answer when I get asked about that, so it doesn't bother me. But such questions just end up showing the ignorance of the person interviewing us. To me, that's pretty obvious.

More From Noisecreep