Enforcer Swim With Sharks

Swedish power/speed metal maniacs Enforcer -- think Mötley Crüe meet Anvil -- are wrapping up their summer touring overseas, with a performance at Bloodstock on the horizon. The band actually hit the U.S. in late 2009, touring with Cauldron when singer Olof Wikstrand and his cohorts became unwitting shark bait.

Enforcer had been driving for 35 hours. When they finally arrived in Florida, they headed to the ocean to swim, even though it was dark. I guess they've never seen 'Jaws,' so they don't know what happens when you take a dip in the the warm ocean under the moonlight.

"When I first jumped in the water, I had no idea about sharks or anything. But once I felt something touching my leg, I was a little bit scared," Wikstrand told Noisecreep. "They were about 20 feet out in the water, so they were pretty close. But I was rather fascinated than scared. I love sharks!" This writer loves 'Shark Week' as much as the next guy, but literal swimming with man-eaters is not atop my bucket list.

Wikstrand described the sharks as longer than he is tall and saw shark fins sticking up everywhere in the ocean when he hit the surface. It's enough to make you piss your pants, er, swim trunks.

While Enforcer have no immediate plans to tour the U.S., it's not because of the underwater greeting they received. Wikstrand, who describes the band's sound as "pure energy," said, "We have no specific plans at the moment, but we will definitely go back to tour for the new album as well. Of course, I won't stay out of the water. I love swimming in all ways."

Enforced have been a unit since 2005, formed "spontaneously" by Wikstrand. He admitted, "The idea just came to me one day. And just within a week, I had taken the first promo shots, drew a logo and recorded and written two songs. I had no specific goal with Enforcer back then, just to record the music I really burned for to spread among like-minded friends. But the songs were pretty well spread, and I got in touch with many people all around the world claiming that they loved Enforcer."

Eventually, he received several offers to play live and to record. By 2006, he put together the second version of Enforcer, together with Jonas and Adam. He finished, "Together we decided to take over the world with our music."

The band's second album, "Diamonds," is out now.