Five Iron Frenzy - "Until This Shakes Apart" Album Review

The year is 2021. After a long year of unknowns, an ongoing pandemic, political tension, and a fight for equal rights and racial justice. 2020 brought us things that we could have never imagined but like time itself we fight through it; and with all of that came messages that struck a cord with everything around us going on in today's society. And Five Iron Frenzy one of the staples of 90's ska punk and christian alternative rock and punk manage to state their take on world events with their new record "Until This Shakes Apart" the band's first record in seven years since "Engine Of A Million Plots" in 2013. So with this task at hand what do Five Iron Frenzy manage to pull off on this record during such difficult times?.

"Until This Shakes Apart" as you can tell is a very politically charged record as this record talks about things going on in our current climate while taking it's own personal take on things going on in the world, which is a very ballsy move. And with that you can see the anger coming through the record as tensions and frustrations with our current climate and our now former president come through with strong tenacity as front man Reese Roper along with the rest of the band come at it with a pissed off attitude but also with fun and catchy ska hooks and punk rock attitude with all of the quirks and nerdy attributes that come with a ska record of it's caliber.

If you have ever listened to a Five Iron Frenzy record before then you know that you are in for a good time as this record brings out some good old fashioned ska and punk rock with one liners abound like with every Five Iron record but it also brings with it some true heartfelt pissed angst that we haven't seen before since maybe "Engine Of A Million Plots" or "Between Pavement And Stars". There's some true grit in this record that we haven't really seen before and you can tell when listening to the record how hard the messages push and pound into your head like a hammer. With some of the messages going from the political war going on between both sides, the riots that we have seen, the racial tension and the stereotypical bias and unfairness towards the black community, the ongoing pandemic, and the decisions that we as a nation have made to "better ourselves". It's all here and to see these topics being tackled which such raw emotion is to be commended here as this record perfectly incapsulates 2020 as a whole while also giving us great ska hooks that are both instantly catchy and memorable.

The record kicks off with the insanely catchy 'In Through The Out Door' a track that feels instantly familiar and memorable with a hook that soars throughout the entire track, a catchy and danceable chorus, and nice heaping handful of symbolism to that of what's going on at the borders. It's a fantastic moment that truly shows that the band have not lost their touch to crafting ska punk bangers.

'Lonesome For Her Heroes' brings in some dark reggae vibes with hyper infused synths and organs with an aggressive middle finger to the government with the stimulus checks.

'So We Sing' which was the first single and first taste of the new record is an enthralling track that will remind fans of previous works from the band that made them so great.

'Renegades' gets down and dirty with a call out anthem track to the corrupt system and to the money hungry and their wealth.

'Auld Lanxiety' is a play-on-words on the classic hymn 'Auld Lang Syne' with a healthy dose of the quirky and self aware side of Five Iron Frenzy that we all love. 'Auld Lanxiety' is a fun track that gets the heart pumping and gets you singing along.

'While Supplies Last' might be the most important track on the record as it tackles not only racism and the BLM movement, the LGBTQ+ movement and the way they are looked down upon, the corrupt justice system and the unlawfulness that we have seen to people of color, and the madness that was happening during the riots and lockdowns. It's all here and it gets heavy with it's message. It also features harsh screamed vocals from vocalist Reese Roper as he screams out against the racist mentality. It is a true political anthem that we have not seen from the band before and it is welcomed.

'Like Something I Missed' will remind fans of their previous works as the track brings more of a harsh "rock with horns" track like we saw on "Engine Of A Million Plots" and it's most certainly welcomed here.

And 'Huerfano' closes the record out on a big finale with fast paced drums, aggressive punk energy, and mosh worthy tones giving the record a great send off and a great track that closes out the record with an electrifying amount of energy.

Simply put "Until This Shakes Apart" is the record that we needed to start 2021 off on as it perfectly incapsulates the frustrations that we all are currently facing with a well and tightly knit ska record that not only brings the punk energy but also brings the ska.

"Until This Shakes Apart" is a fantastic record and is by far one of the band's best releases in their lengthy and long spanning career. The record is a great blend of all of their workings and has something for both new fans and old fans alike.

Written by - Samuel C.

Rating: 5/5