Initial Reaction: Aw, crap. God is actually a Nickelback fan and he's come to seek vengeance against me for my review of Dark Horse...

VOICE OF GOD: Thou shalt pay for thy sins against me and My Holy Musical Tastes!
ME: But, God! It was a crappy album, it deserved the 2 stars -
VOICE OF GOD: Silence! For thy insolence ye shall review the latest New Found Glory album -
ME: NO!
VOICE OF GOD: - YES! - Not Without A Fight shall be thy penance.
ME: But, God - !
VOICE OF GOD: Shut thy yap!!!

Fin.
But truthfully, the listening of Not Without A Fight did not become the hellish vision of excruciation that I had feared. If there's one thing Epitaph is good at, it's supplying nards to bands that have lost them (or adding some those who are balls-deficient). Whatever category NFG would fall into their first Epitaph release is a surprisingly joyous riot.

Opener "Right Where We Left Off" leaps and hops around like that juvenile mosher you can't help but like because he dances amongst the guys thrice his size. Subsequent songs "I'll Never Love Again" and "Such A Mess" somehow avoid the emo-pop label with chugging riffs and gang vocals (Gang vocals! Who's been a good boy and listening to AFI...??). It's still very much the pop-punk of their past days, but somehow it's been strapped down and realigned for measured intensity. NFG are straining and thrashing against these new confines in a much more aurally pleasing manner.

Has Producer Mark Hoppus been playing Comeback Kid albums religiously before bedtime? He must have had faith that he could pull of something mind-blowing as he did the entire thing for deferred payment. But - confession: - he did it.

I am actually really looking forward to seeing NFG open for Shai Hulud in Toronto this April. Fans of this band will be hugely moved by their new sound and direction. Former haters will be forced to eat their words.

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Track Listing:

1) Right Where We Left Off
2) Don't Let Her Pull You Down
3) Listen To Your Friends
4) 47
5) Truck Stop Blues
6) Tangled Up
7) I'll Never Love Again
8) Reasons
9) Such A Mess
10) Heartless At Beest
11) This Isn't You
12) Don't Let This Be The End