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New Found Glory / International Superheroes of Hardcore - Tip of the Iceberg / Takin It Ova

Rating

RIYL

Lifetime
CIV
Set Your Goals
Permanent

Tracklist

Disc 1: New Found Glory - Tip Of The Iceberg

1. Tip Of The Iceberg
2. Dig My Own Grave
3. If You Don't Love Me
4. No Reason Why (Gorilla Biscuit)
5. Here We Go Again (Shelter)
6. Cut The Tension (Lifetime)

Disc 2: International Superheroes Of Hardcore Takin It Ova!

1. ISHC Theme Song
2. Screamo Gotta Go
3. Cpt. Straight Edge
4. Seat Belt
5. Madball's Got Our Back
6. Fashion Show
7. Back To The Future
8. Superhero Sellouts
9. Just Like Dr. Jones
10. Hardcore Hokey Pokey
11. Dirty Mouth
12. Ebay Revenge

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Recent Ratings
Rick Gebhardt

New Found Glory have been playing basement shows since before the inception of time, I know this because Tyler Durden knows this. Because of the band's longevity in the music industry, going on 11 years strong now I believe, it’s relatively obvious to anyone and everyone that the band's sound needs to transform over time in order to progress, and transform it certainly has.

Now that the band have ended their contract with Geffen Records, NFG have headed to one of the more dominant labels in hardcore history, Boston’s Bridge 9 Records, to release this, their third EP. As one would expect after hearing this distro deal, NFG have somewhat “reverted” back to earlier recordings taking inspiration from their earliest material, but with a touch more hardcore flavour a la Lifetime.

Tip of the Iceberg finds the band straying from the over-produced and over-polished sound that was so prominently displayed over everything Geffen touched. Instead, the new songs are faster in pace and shorter in length with additional surprise background/gang vocals by guitarist and ex-Shai Hulud vocalist, Chad Gilbert. However, the band still showcases that familiar New Found Glory sound along with the comforting vocals fueled by Jordan Pundik. The three original songs by NFG are all relatively mediocre from the little material you have to judge them by, though these songs may lose a few young fans on their next release should Tip of the Iceberg be any indication of the direction they're heading in, but for anyone who has been following the band since their beginnings might certainly be happy with the direction they’ve taken here.

With that said, I am not sure if I should be ecstatic about the fact that the three covers of Gorilla Biscuits, Shelter, and Lifetime are most definitely the stand outs on Tip of the Iceberg. Sure, they may not be on the same level as the originals, but NFG’s cover of Shelter’s “Here We Go Again” is ridiculously catchy and far more upbeat than the original thanks largely in part to Pundik’s smooth and soaring vocals (strange, I know) which make it possible for NFG to exceed the expectations set by Shelter’s original.

The second disc of this double disc package features the alter ego of New Found Glory, the International Superheroes of Hardcore, and it sounds exactly as one would expect. Takin It Ova features twelve songs in a NYHC vein fusing together with a Shark Punch parody style. These twelve songs range in lyrical material from how most fashion trends in hardcore, and in general, are ridiculous to screamo simply being terrible to Back To The Future references, along with seeing the early hardcore scene of the 80’s and finding replacement words instead of cursing.

What’s interesting about this parody disc is the fact that Jordan Pundik and Cpt. Straightedge, or Chad Gilbert, swap places allowing Chad to make his first full-length vocal appearance since his days in Shai Hulud circa 1997. Despite the fact that most parody records are usually relatively annoying and far from being anything anyone would listen to on a regular basis, there are a few songs on Takin It Ova worth mentioning for both their humourous quality and the fact that they aren’t nearly as mediocre as the rest of the disc. One of these worthwhile songs is “Superhero Sellouts”, and as you could probably guess, the song goes on to list superheroes who have sold out to mainstream media only to question, “Who’s next?” Another top notch song on this second disc is a song discussing how to properly wear a seatbelt to avoid injury or death, elegantly titled “Seat Belt”.

There isn’t really much else to say abut the second disc other than the fact that the songs are good for a little snicker, but that’s about as far as they go. I’m sure most fans would have preferred a proper NFG full-length rather than a six song EP and a full-length by a novelty act, but what can you do?

--Daniel Alcinii