Album Review: Four Year Strong - 'Enemy of the World'

It’s not often I can come across an album that I fall in love with, especially after only the first spin.

Coming off from an album full of 90’s covers, Four Year Strong return once again to the junction of emo and pop-punk with their second album of original material, Enemy of the World.

And fuck is it good.

Though their overall sound remains unchanged, sticking to their original combination of pop-punk energy, uplifting sing-along choruses, and metal core flourishes. There may not be much innovation, but ultimately, there doesn’t need to be. Enemy of the World is harder, faster and smoother then any of its predecessors to date. The production is cleaner and crispier, with producers and engineers alike managing to find the perfect balance between grit and gloss.

The album opens with the single, ‘It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now’. It’s the ultimate start to the album, as the song shifts effortlessly between metal core chugging to major-key passages.

No Four Year Strong album is complete without an array of gang vocals. And they deliver. The album is filled with not only gang vocals but catchy hooks as well, making it all the more enjoyable.

For example ‘Nineteen With Neck Tatz’ is fundamentally all gang vocals, as drummer Jake Massucco provides the spine to the pandemonium and mayhem. While each track offers some variety of gang vocals, almost nothing can compare to that found on the albums closer ‘Enemy Of The World’, it’s chanting and howling put to rest any other gang vocals found on the album.

‘Wasting Time’ is one of the most stand-out tracks featured on the release. It’s a truly exceptional song, with the verses reminiscent to those that New Found Glory was famous for. This, along with the super-tight and timed percussion and distorted guitars, are all factors that helped create possibly one of the best songs on the album. This track is so incredibly catchy; I can almost guarantee that it will not leave your head for days.

‘Enemy Of The World’ is practically drenched in pop-punk, hardcore and rock influences. And its enough to make you breathe a sigh of relief when you listen for the first time, and can hear that the bands newly found major label production values do absolutely nothing to subdue the genuine raw spirit that flows through all of these tracks, but instead builds upon it creating a authentically “big” sound.

Ultimately, it’s the perfect follow up to ‘Rise or Die Trying’. Not only have they managed to overtake the bar the albums predecessor had set, but they set a whole new level – one that Four Year Strong will have to work hard to beat on their next album.

"It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now" — 3:16

"On a Saturday" — 3:43

"Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)" — 3:18

"Nineteen with Neck Tatz" — 3:24

"Find My Way Back" — 3:28

"What the Hell Is a Gigawatt?" (feat. Jay Pepito of Reign Supreme) — 3:07

"One Step at a Time" — 3:06

"This Body Pays the Bill$" — 3:20

"Paul Revere's Midnight Ride" — 3:55

"Flannel Is the Color of My Energy" — 3:29

"Enemy of the World" — 4:02