Italian band Enemynside offer up a thrilling thrash sound born out of a love for classic and technical thrash and they describe as “energetic, melodic and intense.”
The Rome quintet originally started out in the late 1990s and, despite lineup changes over the years, retained the core idea to write intense and meaningful metal that fuses energy, melody and groove. Over the years, they’ve released several albums and shared stages with the likes of Destruction, Flotsam and Jetsam, Behemoth and more.
On the sound they’ve honed, told us: “It’s a balance between old-school thrash and modern metal. Think of sharp riffs, catchy vocal lines, and tight rhythms. We try to keep things technical but always focused on the song itself – not just speed or heaviness for their own sake, but emotion and groove.”
Our latest taste of this is Carnal Betrayal, which was released two weeks ago. It opens up with light guitars that give way to a stabbing riff, a thick bassline and big drums and a cool little lick that tees up a lively opening verse. The vocals intensify with responses from chugging guitars, before another little guitar flurry and a cool dual solo tee up a second verse. Chunky guitar chords support the vocals, leading into a heavy chorus that gives way to stabbing guitars and crashing cymbals setting up a final blast of the chorus.
Speaking ahead of the release, the band told us: “We’re really excited for this release. Carnal Betrayal represents the raw and aggressive side of the new EP, but it still keeps that melodic touch that’s always been part of our sound. The song deals with inner conflict and human hypocrisy, so it’s both powerful and thought-provoking. Listeners can expect fast riffs, sharp vocals, and a dark atmosphere that reflects the overall mood of the record.”
As alluded to, Carnal Betrayal comes from Enemynside’s new EP The Shadows of Unrest, which will be out next month. From it, we’ve also heard the equally excellent Concrete Jungle, which starts out with lively guitars and a funky guitar lick before chunky chords support feisty vocals. That feeds into a lively chorus then big groovy guitars tee up another verse. A second chorus gives way to a noodling guitar solo, before chugging guitars tee up a final chorus.
And on the EP as a whole, the band said: “The EP will be out this fall, and it’s a mix of speed, groove, and melody — our most dynamic work so far. It has four tracks that explore different emotional and social aspects, all tied together by a sense of tension and unease, hence the title In the Shadows of Unrest. We wanted to capture both the aggression of our thrash roots and the more atmospheric side of our songwriting.”
The Enemynside sound draws on classic thrash and heavy metal artists like Metallica, Megadeth, Testament and Annihilator to newer bands like Machine Head, The Haunted and Trivium, as well as more melodic and progressive bands to keep things interesting.
And on what inspires them to write music, they told us: “Our inspiration comes from personal experiences and social observation — everything from frustration and disillusion to resilience and self-awareness. We often deal with the darker sides of human nature and the contradictions of modern life. Writing music is our way of processing all that and turning it into something powerful.”
In The Shadows of Unrest will be released on 14 November. Enemynside will be promoting the EP with shows across Italy and hopefully some gigs abroad. And they’re already working on new material that will become another EP or a full-length album.
And the band added: “We put our hearts into every song and every show. We really appreciate everyone who supports underground metal – that’s what keeps this scene alive.”
You can follow Enemynside on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
Listen to Enemynside and more new metal on our Spotify playlists GigRadar Core and GigRadar Metal
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