Posted on: March 11, 2009 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

New Found Glory has always been a band that has not gotten the respect that they deserve. When they first came out, I felt that a lot of individuals ignored them for acts like Unwritten Law and New Found Glory. When they changed up their sound slightly a few years back, individuals still tended to flock to acts like Thrice and Alkaline Trio. “Not Without A Fight” is an album that looks to finally break New Found Glory out of the shadow of other, better-known acts.

While weak efforts by Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy helped matters slight, New Found Glory themselves should be seen as the main reason why they succeed so well here. “Right Where We Left Off” is the first track on the disc, and listeners are immediately buffeted with an intensity that simply cannot be found on the discs of other acts, be they rock, emo, punk, or any one of a host of comparable genres. The distinct vocals that have been a hallmark of previous NFG album shine brightly, but are given a run for their money by a simply stellar set of instrumentations, tight as all get out. “Listen To Your Friends” hearkens back to the earlier NFG works, but contains the same dedication to eh arrangements that made “Right Where We Left Off” into such an impressive track> Despite the fact that the instrumentation itself is a little quieter, the chiaroscuro crated between the slow and fast stands out as yet another slam-dunk by the band on this album. “47” is another noteworthy track, stripping away a lot of the dense and difficult instrumental direction taken during the earlier tracks of “Not Without A Fight”, creating a pop-punk track that will bounce around listeners’ heads for months after the disc ceases to spin in their player.

“Truck Stop Blues” marries the two distinct musical traditions, making a driven song that takes on equal parts Thought Riot and Rise Against , albeit with a breakdown that would make fans of The Vandals or Reel Big Fish very happy. I find it hard to keep all of the albums that I receive for review from NeuFutur, but the new New Found Glory album will be placed in a cherished place in my collection. You should look into doing the same.

Top Tracks: Truck Stop Blues, Reasons

Rating: 8.8/10

New Found Glory – Not Without A Fight / 2009 Epitaph / 12 Tracks / http://www.newfoundglory.com / http://www.epitaph.com

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