Four Year Strong is a 5 piece melodic hardcore band (or happycore as I like to call it) from Worchester Mass. They've released a total of three albums as of 2010; one of them being a cover album. All of their music is packed with memorable lyrics that are sometimes hard to hear, but once know, they'll stick with you forever. FYS just released their third album "Enemy of the World". In my opinion this is one of the best albums released in twenty ten. The album shows their growth as a band, and it's easy to tell how far the guys have come.
Enemy of the World starts off with a song called, "It Must Really Suck to be Four Year Strong" which really tells the listener what they should expect from the rest of the album. The very beginning of the song starts off with an amazing riff, telling the listener, "Get ready..this doesn't end." Also in this song is some pretty catchy yet inspirational lyrics. The chorus for example, ends with this unforgettable line, But since your heads in the clouds, the best advice I've found is don't look down. The whole song is pretty much about being somewhat of an outcast and really just "flying your freak flag". The guys know that they aren't the coolest people in the world, but they try to embrace that. To express that, the guys have Enemy of the World's cover picturing them all as mythical beasts. O'Connor (vocalist of FYS) tells AP Mag that "We always said it'd be hilarious to have a picture like that...because obviously, we're not jacked dudes." and in response to that, Alan Day (other vocalist) said, "Making ourselves look like a bunch of idiots on the cover-I'm a centaur, half-horse, half-man-I don't know...it just felt right." They're a bunch of real guys, and they don't need to look wicked cool in order to be wicked cool..so why not make the album cover a little funky?
Although Four Year Strong seems to be a funny, careless band..they've got some issues just like any other people out there. The title track is what explains this for them, and it is probably one of the best songs off this album. The line that sings over and over in my head from this song is Burnt out, frustrated, I feel like I'm an Enemy of the World. To explain that O'Connor tells AP, "There have definitely been moments in the last two-and-a half years where it's like 'Why the fuck do so many people hate me?" It's rough having no one support you when you're actually doing something you really care about, and that is just how O'Connor felt. Another heart-felt song is One Step At a Time, which is about Alan Day's brother, who died of Leukimia in 2003. When I looked at the lyrics while listening to it, knowing that it was about Day's brother; it made me choke up a bit. Thinking how hard that time must have been for him seems awful, but it's awesome that he can write a song about it and still be in such a happy band singing uplifting songs for people everyday.
Rise or Die Trying was definitely a good album for FYS, but Enemy of the World is for sure the better of the two. Having such memorable lyrics that I will forever sing along to, maybe even get a tattoo for. Four Year Strong was never one of my favorite bands, but since the release of their second album, I can truly say that I love Four Year Strong. I'm excited to see what they come out with next.
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