History lesson time – I remember the first time I heard Four Year Strong I was blown away. ‘Rise or Die Trying‘ has everything I love about music – hooks, riffs, drums, choruses…it was like the band had taken everything I love from New Found Glory and thrown in some hardcore influences and just written the perfect pop-punk album with added balls. It was just so instant and so anthemic. I still listen to it a lot even though I’ve blatantly overplayed it. Great live band too. The inevitable then happened as hundreds and hundreds of bands jumped on the back of the band’s popularity (signing to Decaydance helped no end…) and the whole ‘scene’ of soundalikes meant if the band replicated that first album I think it would have got a bit stale this time around.
Thankfully ‘Enemy of the World’ strips away the fat from album number 1, turns up the riffs and the energy and is all kinds of awesome. There’s nothing you could say is mosh-by-numbers, the choruses are huge and the band seem to have ditched most of the keys/synth which seemed a little superfluous on the last record. In short, this is brilliant fun and blows the soundalikes out of the water. Although I didn’t think so the first time I listened. Sure, there’s the obvious singles (‘Wasting Time’ and ‘Nineteen with Neck Tatz’) but a few of the tracks didn’t hit me first time round. And that’s the opposite to ‘RODT’ where every song is like an instant sugar-rush. But then that’s what is so rewarding about this record. With every listen it grows on you, sounding better and better. The backing shouts sound better, the choruses get catchier and the riffs and breakdowns begin to sound massive.
‘Enemy of the World’ contains some of the best songs the band have ever written. ‘Find My Way Back’ is huge and deserves to be a big radio hit. ‘It Must Really Suck…’ is a brilliant way to kick the album off, while the riffs and shouting towards the back end of ‘What The Hell Is A Gigawatt’ are brilliant. Infact the riffs on this album are just leagues above what the band did last time round – ‘On A Saturday’ and ‘This Body Pays The Bill$’ have great riffs but even better singalongs. I don’t think I’ve found a bad song yet and even the ‘weaker’ ones grow into complete monsters within a few listens.
No need to die trying, FYS have risen above everyone on this record. Brilliant stuff.