Review Summary: Fixing what was never broken.
Enemy of The World is such a stellar record. A classic body of work that would help solidify Four Year Strong as being the undisputed kings of metal-tinged pop-punk that spins on a dime between crushing heaviness and irresistible catchiness. Though a large chunk of avid FYS-fans hold their debut
Rise or Die Trying to an unusually high regard, it becomes crystal clear when diving deep into the band's discography which of their offerings has held up to close scrutiny over time and which haven't. Unlike many of the band's earlier offerings,
Enemy... has successfully stood the test of time. "Find My Way Back" still remains as perhaps the quintessential pop-punk anthem of the 2010's and the cataclysmic riffage of opener "It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now" is laden with the type of instant-gratification songwriting most bands struggle with many moons into their careers – yet the band was able to serve up incredibly memorable choruses and fun-as-hell guitar riffs effortlessly while being in their mere early 20's some 12 (?!) years ago. It certainly didn't hurt either that the man behind the board Gene Freeman, AKA Machine, was able to elevate the band's songwriting to the exact type of ludicrous action-movie heights that the album cover would suggest.
Enemy... sounds massive in a bombastic, Michael Bay-helmed-summer-action-flick kind of way. Jake Massucco's drumming sounds as if performed in a massive auditorium with cascading toms and double-kick drumming that rarely lets up and guitars are dialed up just right for the listener to absorb the exquisite nuances of front men Alan & Dan's shred work. Even more impressive are the gang vocals that are at times somewhat overutilized, yet they sound as if a whole stadium-filled arena is coming at the listener full throttle. It's an appropriately over-the-top listening experience for an equally over-the-top album. So, in a somewhat puzzling decision, Four Year Strong has decided to re-record the entirety of
Enemy of The World coupled with a slew of B-sides that never got the limelight they deserved. The decision was made in order to regain the legal rights to the songs that were lost when the band's old label, Decaydance, folded and to celebrate the album's 10th anniversary post-covid, with the band currently touring the album in its entirety. This reinterpretation/recording of
Enemy of The World leaves somewhat to be desired, though. Gone are those aforementioned gang vocals that simulate being trapped in the thick of an overly enthusiastic crowd chant. Will Putney's drum production also doesn't quite pack the same bite and winds up sounding too overly similar to the already Putney produced and unquestionably excellent
Brain Pain from 2020.
The worst offender here is the vocals as the band convened at Alan Day's own studio for the sake of tracking guitars, bass and vocals. The latter simply sound far too diluted and too much behind the mix, almost as if being drowned out by the instrumentation. The good news is that a strong selection of B-sides has been reinterpreted to great effect. "Bad News Bearz" benefits greatly from some reworked verses and a more fluent rhythm section and the cleverly-Ghostbusters-titled "Listen! Do You Smell Something?" features more prominent guitar melodies and stronger vocal performances all-around. Though some fans may lament the lack of Josh Lyford's keyboards, added guitar layers sit in lieu of his synth parts and do a competent enough job to compensate for his absence.
Enemy of The World will forever be a timeless record, a joyous time capsule of the early 2010's when every pop-punk band were in dire need of breakdowns and gang vocals juxtaposed against massive choruses that flirted with mainstream appeal. Though Machine's work can't ever be surpassed, this somewhat full-hearted attempt at a facelift is – at the very least – a reminder as to why this album garnered so much fanfare and how it helped catapult Four Year Strong to the top of the pop-punk food chain eons ago.
