Dominating your local scene since 1995, New York’s hardcore thrashers Sworn Enemy are absolutely unstoppable. After intense touring throughout the whole world in support of 2007’s Manial, Sworn Enemy are, not very surprisingly, back with a brand new album. Like if they haven’t achieved their goal yet, Total World Domination rocks like always!

Just returned from a European tour with Lionheart, Freya and CDC, Sworn Enemy’s appearance on the Hell on Earth tour (with headliner Earth Crisis) this August has already been announced. But in the meantime, a brand new record to feed the set list with some new tunes. Total World Domination does exactly what every previous record did. Throughout the 11 songs, mashed in 35 minutes you can expect good old thrashy New York hardcore; fast circlepit parts, 2-steps, breakdowns and above all catchy lyrics to sing-along with. Most concern the usual Sworn Enemy pissed off, dissing type of lyrics like 'Still Hating', which seems to be the follow up to 'We Hate' from 2006’s The Beginning of the End, about the state of music now days. Bound in Blood’s cover ‘All Fucked Up’ with its oi punk-like sing-along part is a nice change after some of the heavier tracks on the album.

 

It seems with every album Sworn Enemy is trying to step away from the usual (beatdown) hardcore sound, moving towards a more thrash metal sound. Not surprisingly the band tours with all sorts of different bands such as Hatebreed, Anthrax and All Shall Perish, pleasing a very varied crowd each and every time. Total World Domination is in my opinion not their strongest work to date though. The album is missing out on some hits like 'We Hate', but can still succeed to stand out from all the weak hardcore we come across nowadays, mainly because of their unique sound. Sworn Enemy starts where thrash metal and hardcore couldn’t get any further!