Album Review: Four Year Strong - Enemy Of The World

Four Year Strong are true to their word when they say "don’t fix it if it isn’t broken" on opening track 'It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now', from their Universal/Motown debut 'Enemy of the World'. All the duel vocals, breakdowns and stomping numbers are still here and present. Tracks like 'On A Saturday' and 'Nineteen With Neck Tatz' go by at a furious pace, with the band grouping together in vocal unison at any opportunity.

Elsewhere 'Find My Way Back' and 'One Step At A Time' bring a sense of accessibility, although the bands original style dominate the record throughout. Although this is not a bad thing, 'Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)' rightly verifies its picking as the first single, filled with energy and passion as the bands brotherhood bound shines through.

Closing track 'Enemy Of The World' to an extent sums up this record; brilliant melodies with passionate vocals mixed with heavy guitars, thrashing drums and gang vocals. It may be a structure that is familiar to fans of the band, but its still favourable as in some ways 'Enemy of the World' is everything you want it to be, but for those who want a bit of variation will struggle to find it here.

Although at times you feel slightly underwhelmed, if not disappointed, as the band clearly know how to right huge hooks and riffs, but the bands in-your-face, 100MPH style means that you are left with a record that does not give you chance to catch your breath.

Nevertheless Four Year Strong are back and are as brash and bold as ever, with a record that, for some, will be there album for the coming months. As 'Enemy of the World' picks up right where they left and does not stop.

4/5

'Enemy of the World' by Four Year Strong is released in the UK on May 31st on Defacto and in the US on March 9th on Universal/Motown.

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Sean Reid