Album Review: Four Year Strong - 'Rise Or Die Trying'

Thanks to the success of bands

like New Found Glory and Fall Out Boy, pop punk has had

a major surge in commercial popularity over the last couple of years.

Kids have given their sisters back their make up kits, spent some time

in the sun and realized that pogo mosh parts are the best thing since

sliced bread. 

One band that is well and truly

poised to blow up is the Massachusetts based Four YearStrong.

With a dual vocal style reminiscent of Taking Back Sunday, chunky

riffs and a drummer who’s clearly spent some time working on his double

kick, this bearded five piece has found a way to blend the aggression

of their hardcore roots with their love of bouncy pop punk. 

Although it’s incredibly brief,

the introduction of “The Takeover” is a good indication of where Four Year Strong’s heads are at. Breakdown style guitar parts

provide a solid backdrop for the band’s always present gang vocals,

which takes us into the albums first real tune “Prepare To Be Digitally

Manipulated”, which has no doubt had many a pit moving in unison.

The subtle synth elements make FYS sound a lot less cheesy than

many of their peers and the appearance of former Bury Your Dead

vocalist Matt Bruso in the song’s mid section was a welcome

surprise. Seriously, when was the last time you heard three way harmonies

competing with a guest vocal who sounds that pissed off?! 

“Abandon Ship Or Abandon All

Hope” owes a lot to scene veterans NFG, however the squealing

guitars throughout the chorus and the all in vocal attack gives the

song a slightly harder edge. When a record is as consistent as Rise

Or Die Trying it can make picking a stand out incredibly difficult,

but the driving drums and stop start guitars of “Heroes Get Remembered,

Legends Never Die” is the kind of song that most bands spend a career

trying to write. The vocal interaction between Dan and Alan

(both taking up guitar and vocal duty) flows effortlessly, making it

apparent that the high quality of both the band’s singers is what

makes them stand out in a scene flooded with less than talented musicians. 

The mid paced and less aggressive

“Wrecked Em, Damn Near Killed Em” is a radio hit waiting to happen

is bound to please the masses on this year’s edition of the VansWarped Tour. Although it starts with a series of discordant chords

“Men Are From Wars, Women Are From Hell” quickly works its way back

to the melody laced territory that Four Year Strong are so happy

to occupy… that is until a breakdown littered with impressive guitar

work comes out of nowhere to shake things up. 

Having recently signed to Decaydance

(Pete Wentz’s boutique label) you can expect to hear a lot

from Four Year Strong in 2008. Get in while you still can!

1. The Takeover
2. Prepare To Be Digitally

   Manipulated

3. Abandon Ship Or Abandon

   All Hope

4. Heroes Get Remembered,

   Legends Never Die

5. Wrecked ‘Em, Damn

   Near Killed ‘Em