Five Iron Frenzy

    Five Iron Frenzy

    Denver, Colorado39 reviews across 9 releases

    alternative rockpop punkpunkska
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    Five Iron Frenzy formed in Denver in 1995 as a ska and pop-punk side project to the Christian metal band Exhumator. Early on, the group paired brisk offbeat rhythms with power-chord guitars, a prominent horn section, and jokes that could turn suddenly serious. The 1996 debut Upbeats and Beatdowns established that combination through songs about Christian hypocrisy, Native American history, salvation, and the fictional hero Combat Chuck. Our Newest Album Ever! brought cleaner production and more elaborate arrangements while Reese Roper's writing connected touring fatigue, lost childhood, and spiritual doubt. The joke about guitarist Micah Ortega learning new material before the rest of the band and then skipping practice became a song. By Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo, the horns remained, but the ska offbeats had receded into a harder rock and punk setting.

    In 2003, Five Iron Frenzy announced that it would end after a farewell tour, with Andrew Verdecchio's departure from the band among the factors in the decision. The group issued The End Is Here as a two-disc conclusion built around its final studio material and last concert, recorded at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium on November 22, 2003. After the breakup, several members continued in other projects, including Brave Saint Saturn. Five Iron Frenzy reunited in 2011 and announced the return with the song "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night," followed by a Kickstarter campaign that raised $207,980. The reunited lineup released Engine of a Million Plots in 2013, then returned with Until This Shakes Apart in 2021.

    9 releases reviewed