Grade: A-
"Don't fix it if it hasn't broken yet," sing Alan Day and Dan O'Connor.
The lyrics to the opening track of Four Year Strong's latest release, Enemy of the World, define the album's intentions. The band's signature happy-hardcore melodies that fans fell in love with still ring true, even while the band continues to progress with their sound.
The bearded quintet formed in 2001, but it wasn't until the group unleashed Rise or Die Trying upon the world that they carved out a niche for themselves in the post hardcore community.
With the release of Enemy of the World, FYS looks to appease its longstanding fans with a worthy follow-up album, and take itself to a whole new level.
For the most part, Enemy of the World brings back the catchy hooks and the perfect mixture of pop-punk and hardcore FYS is known for.
What Enemy of the World has that Rise or Die Trying doesn't is diversity. The band's breakthrough album was an exceptional one by all means, but at times the songs seem to follow a very linear development: one part catchy synth, one part hardcore guitar riffs and one part call and return lyrics.
With the new album, FYS breaks away from the slightly repetitive style and takes more chances with its songwriting. The album will go from a heavier track, complete with breakdown and all, and to a more catchy and upbeat number that will have listeners jumping in a true pop punk fashion.
However, some may find issues with this, believing that that band deviates a bit too far from their primary sound. But who wants to hear the same album released several times over?
Enemy of the World opens things up with "It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now." Despite the noticeable absence of Josh Lyford's synth, the song is still a head-bobbing good time of a track. The fun instrumentals and lyrics that listeners can't help but scream back set the pace perfectly for the rest of the album.
The second track is simply titled "On a Saturday." Day and O'Connor sing out a message of standing up for beliefs. The song is the perfect ‘pump up' number for any occasion.
"Find my way back," the fifth track off Enemy of the World, is unique in the overall scheme of the album. It lacks the upbeat tone matched by most other tracks. When mixed with lyrics speaking of longing for home, the song takes on a much more heartfelt and serious tone that is rarely seen in FYS's music.
"This Body Pays The Bill$" is the stereotypical song about finding that special someone – only in this track, O'Connor and Day sing about all those things that are so wrong that make the girl so right.
Closing things out is the album's title track, "Enemy of the World." The song opens up with a fade-in of a choir-like "oh," and a guitar riff that lures listeners just before Day's and O'Connor's voices burst through into the heart of the song.
The track constantly flip-flops throughout. Most verses are a bit drawn out and slow, but when the chorus kicks in, the song – instrumentals and vocals alike – quickens. In the end, the song closes out with the same church choir feeling that started it, bringing the album to a more than satisfactory close.
The one major downside to Enemy of the World is the lack of Lyford's synth throughout. It's not gone, but his keyboard beats, which gave the songs that danceable feel, are far less prominent.
Even with a major decline in the synth department and the little deviations in sound, Four Year Strong's latest installment is a masterful work of happy hardcore that will impress former fans and draw in new ones. Enemy of the World is one album that proves it really doesn't suck to be Four Year Strong right now.
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