Modern Life is War had been long revered in the hardcore community as a band that called it quits too soon; that was until their reunion in 2013. After slaying the crowd at 2013’s This is Hardcore Fest, Modern Life is War released their fourth album entitled Fever Hunting. I still remember the day I read the announcement of their reunion – it was April Fool’s Day. I texted my best friend telling him that if it was a joke, it was the cruelest joke any band could ever play on their fans. Five months later, I was sitting in my bedroom with Fever Hunting in my hands and I haven’t stopped spinning it since.
Upon first listen, you will notice that Fever Hunting isn’t quite as heavy as the band’s former LPs. This album takes the melodic hardcore found on albums such as Witness and Midnight in America and turns the genre into anthems for the lost generation. Over steady drum beats and enticing guitar riffs, we hear Jeffery Eaton describe the same issues faced years before.
The album opens with “Old Fears, New Frontiers,” a song that grabs you by the neck two seconds in, precisely when the guitar kicks in over the drums. “Old fears, new frontiers” are the only words sung during the one minute and 14 seconds this song lasts; a closer listen to this album solidifies that Eaton really is cycling through ancient issues that still haunt him nearly ten years after they recorded their last album. Songs such as “Chasing my Tail” and “Cracked Sidewalk Surfer” rehash old flames from songs like “I’m Not Ready” and “The Outsiders (AKA Hell is for Heroes Pt.1),” memories of begrudgingly leaving friends behind and living life as a one man army to accomplish dreams.
Fever Hunting isn’t just a phenomenal comeback, it’s a homage to all that existed before the hiatus and all that will continue after this album. While using their musicianship as the driving force behind their songs, Modern Life is War urges everyone to keep moving, to keep fighting.
