Not Now, I'm Busy

Four Year Strong’s fourth album,‘Enemy Of The World’, is a collection of ‘Summer Songs’, or what I’d call pop punk battle anthems. No matter what label you choose to put on it, this is music that will get you moving.

For me, Four Year Strong falls into the same vein as Set Your Goals, with the call and response vocal style, and the mixing of pop punk and hardcore. Different though are the vocal timbres; the voices are full bodied and powerful with a throaty crunch. The vocal is a screaming singing style, but not the typical style associated with ‘screamo’, the delivery is more of a yell. As well as the use of two vocalists, the band heavily uses gang vocals, providing what sounds to me like a battle cry.

Lyrically, the tracks are intensely positive. Just about every song tells a story about overcoming problems, chasing dreams, motivational chants and just being you.

The music is intricately layered, and each layer is very rhythmic and busy. The guitar provides the main harmonic movement and also supplies leads (sometimes there are two leads), while the crunchy bass shreds, and the chugga chugga drums bust out polyrhythms, heavily crashing on the cymbals and attacking the skins with ferocity; All the while the main voice and gang vocals yell catchy hooks over the top.

While I love the album as a whole (it can be enjoyed from start to finish or on shuffle) my favourite tracks include; On A Saturday; Wasting Time (Eternal Summer); and Enemy Of The World.

As a whole ‘Enemy Of The World’ is fast paced, high-energy sonic fun.

On A Saturday

Extra Kudos for the beards.

Four Year Strong are:
Alan Day: Vocals, Guitar
Dan O’Connor: Vocals, Guitar
Josh Lyford: Vocals, Synth
Josh Weiss: Bass
Jackson Massucco: Drums

‘Enemy Of The World’ released by Universal Motown Records in 2009. Produced by Machine.

Also check out Four Year Strong’s 90′s cover album ‘Explains It All’