Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!
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JFH Music Review




Five Iron Frenzy
The End Is Near



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 14 tracks: 56 minutes, 38 seconds
Street Date: June, 2003


It's always a bittersweet feeling when the final chapter in a saga has been written. While there's a sense of fulfillment in the end, the feeling of loss is inevitable. Eight chapters after their story had begun being written, Five Iron Frenzy offers the final and most appropriate installment to make a grand and glorious exit.

Five Iron's final record, appropriately titled The End Is Near, picks up where Electric Boogaloo left off, but corrects every flaw that record possessed. Each song on The End... has clearly been written with more thought and detail than their past several records. While songs may not be nearly as catchy as some classics found on Our Newest Album Ever, they're solid rock-with-horns tracks regardless. The End... opens with "Cannonball," a rock track with authority, followed nicely by the hopelessly humorous "At Least I'm Not Like All The Other Old Guys." "So Far, So Bad" is a rock track with ska seasoning that lyrically addresses the band's struggles in the music industry throughout their history. "New Year's Eve" and "American Kryptonite" are glorified and tasty filler songs that set the stage for the contemplative and worshipful acknowledgement of God's presence throughout their career in "It Was Beautiful." Five Iron is very mindful of their demise lyrically on The End is Near. While this might hinder the musical all-purpose mood for some, it's delightful to hear the band's thoughts on Five Iron Frenzy as a whole -- from their warm praises to their Creator to the sad frustrations in trying to make it in a career in music. "Wizard Needs Food, Badly" is a fun and classic light-hearted track while "Farewell To Arms" offers an edgier mood while managing to sound great from beginning to end. "And The Flames Begin To Rise" mixes a little acid reggae and pop/rock to create a inevitably catchy track before trading the sound for a darker sound on "Anchors Away." An unforgettable highlight on The End is Near for the fans is "That's How the Story Ends," a track that serves as the end-all response to such songs as "Where's Micah?," "These Are Not My Pants," "Brad Is Dead" and others. A bittersweet track in and of itself due to its nature, "That's How the Story Ends" brings closure to some of the most beloved tracks the band has ever recorded, making this an appropriate and unique closer for the project. But what would a Five Iron Frenzy record be without a worshipful finale as they have done in the past with "Every New Day," "World Without End," and "Eulogy"? "On Distant Shores" dots the final "I's" and crosses the final "T's" of the band's musical career and even borrows its closing lines from the renowned "Every New Day" to make for a truly appropriate closer.

The End is Near marks the end of this band's long career, but Five Iron Frenzy's message and music will echo in the hearts of fans for decades to come. Thanks guys for a great run. And thanks for putting forth what is arguably your best record yet and therefore going out with a bang. The End.

- Review date: 7/8/03, written by John DiBiase



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. Artist Info: Discography
. Record Label: 5 Minute Walk Records
. Album length: 14 tracks, 56 minutes and 38 seconds
. Street Date: June, 2003
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. Cannonball
  2. At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other
    Old Guys
  3. So Far, So Bad
  4. New Year's Eve
  5. American Kryptonite
  6. It Was Beautiful
  7. Wizard Needs Food, Badly
  8. Farewell to Arms
  9. See The Flames Begin To Crawl
  10. Anchors Away
  11. Something Like Laughter
  12. That's How The Story Ends
  13. On Distant Shores
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This Friday, October 17, 2025
ALBUMS
ANTHNY DIARY ENTRY 1 [Provident]
Blanca Full Bloom [Curb]
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas [Gaither]
Geoff Moore and The Distance Foundations (Re-Release) [Girder]
Geoff Moore and The Distance A Place To Stand (Re-Release) [Girder]
Nate Parrish Make Me A Mountain (independent)
Psallos The New and Better Way: Hymns of Hebrews (independent)
Anne Wilson Stars [Capitol CMG]

SINGLES
F'rael God's Wheel (ft. TRYBISHOP) - Single [Syntax]
LEON Undefeated - Single [El Rescate Music]
No Vain Glory UNLEADED - Single [Syntax]
REFVGE, Cyfë II & WAY? U P W A R D S ft. Bianca Silver & Josh LeCroy - Single [Syntax]
Rhymes In Harmony & MAYIA My Sister - Single [Syntax]
Anton Scholl Born To Love You - Single [Near Kingdom]
Nathan Sheridan Don't Lose Hope - Single [WieRok]
SNT. VINCENT Feast of the Saints - Single [Syntax]
Vic Lucas, Essence Natay & Ashleey Barnes Let it Rain - Single [Syntax]
Zane Vickery All Things New - Single (independent)

DVD
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, October 24, 2025
ALBUMS
John Allan untitled EP [Centricity]
Dan Bremnes The Villain - EP [Curb]
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]
Fepeste This World Ain't Mine to Change [Velvet Blue]
gio. FINE BY ME [Capitol CMG]
Tyson Motsenbocker Modern Worries [Tooth & Nail]
Smalltown Poets St. Augustine (independent)
Zahriya Zachary Rediscovery [Bethel]

SINGLES
29:11 Worship, Zion Rempel You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Chad Cory, Zacardi Cortez My First Love (Remix) - Single [DREAM]
darthy Juniper Tree - Single [WieRok]
Emerson Day Midnight Hour - Single [Fair Trade]
Good Weather Forecast lows2highs - Single [DREAM]
Grace + Max Rich - Single [WieRok]
Mercy Tribe Music The King is in the Room (feat. Ayiesha Woods) - Single (independent)
Mountains in the Sea You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Tomb Slayer The Christmas Lamb (feat. Khristian Dentley & Sarah Whittemore) - Single [Tomb Slayer]
The Undertaking! All Smiles - Single (independent)

VINYL
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]


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