The End Is Near (Five Iron Frenzy album)

The End Is Near
Studio album by Five Iron Frenzy
Released	June 18, 2003 (self release) April 20, 2004 (re-release)
Recorded	November 22, 2003 (live)
Genre	Christian ska Modern Rock
Length	45:02 (self release) Disc 1: 79:13 (re-release) Disc 2: 78:43 (re-release)
Label	Five Minute Walk
Producer	Frank Tate
Alternative cover
Cover of self-released studio album
Five Iron Frenzy chronology
Cheeses...(of Nazareth) (2003) The End is Near Here (2004)

The End is Near is the fifth and purported final studio album by Five Iron Frenzy, self-released on June 18, 2003. The album was later widely re-released as a part of double album titled The End is Here (stylized as The End is Near Here) by Five Minute Walk Records on April 20, 2004. The double album includes the studio album and a live recording of the band's final concert performance.

Packaging & Release

The End is Here was recorded in early 2003 and sold directly by the band during their farewell tour and through their official website.^{[citation needed]} The cover and packaging artwork was done by Doug TenNapel, the visual artist who had previously worked on three other Five Iron Frenzy covers.^{[citation needed]} The packaging for The End is Near features a red motif for the cover and artwork while the re-release, The End is Near Here, includes a green layout. Otherwise both version contain the same artwork by TenNapel. The self-released version is missing a barcode and instead included a blank space reading "I LAST SAW FIVE IRON FRENZY ON" which the band themselves stamped with that day's date when sold from their merchandise tables on their farewell tour.

On November 22, 2003 at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Colorado, the band played their final show and recorded it. On April 20, 2004, the double disc set The End is Near Here was released for retail and included the studio album and the final performance. On this double disc set the the first disc and the live second disc are titled The End is Near and The End is Here respectively. Another inclusion on the double disc set was one extra studio track "The Cross of Saint Andrew" which was not on the earlier self-release.

Both versions of the studio album feature a hidden track of Five Iron Frenzy talking in the recording studio. Additionally the studio album on the double disc set features a second hidden track. The additional hidden track is composed of outtakes from the final performance: most of the stage banter that was cut from the second disc for pacing purposes.

Music

The song "Wizard Needs Food, Badly" is a reference to the 1985 arcade game Gauntlet, and the song features a sample of the line spoken in the video game. "That's How the Story Ends" is a song stlylized along the lines of "The Raven," a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. Backmasking dialog at the beginning of the song is lead singer Reese Roper saying "Sandwiches, they make the best friends." Lyrically the song make references to past Five Iron Frenzy songs and gives epilogues to the narrative of those songs. The songs referenced are "Where Is Micah?", "Blue Comb '78", "Shut Up", "The Untimely Death of Brad", "These Are Not My Pants (The Rock Opera)", "Combat Chuck", "Kitty Doggy" and "Kingdom of the Dinosaurs". The coda of the song "On Distant Shores" is borrowed from Five Iron Frenzy's "Every New Day," a song that closed all their live performances.

Reception

Both the original version of the studio album and the double disc studio and live set received positive reviews.

Jesus Freak Hideout reviewed the album of its original self-released form and gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 rating. Cross Rhythms also reviewing the first version of the studio album gave it a 10 out of 10.

Reviewing the double disc set The Phantom Tollbooth gave the it a five out of five. Likewise, HM Magazine music critic Doug Van Pelt stated that the live material captured the raw energy and spiritual fervor that the band was known for.

Track Listing

Self-Released "Red" version

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cannonball"	3:44
2.	"At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys"	2:09
3.	"So Far, So Bad"	3:03
4.	"New Years Eve"	3:53
5.	"American Kryptonite"	3:15
6.	"It Was Beautiful"	2:47
7.	"Wizard Needs Food, Badly"	3:12
8.	"Farewell To Arms"	4:03
9.	"See The Flames Begin To Crawl"	3:16
10.	"Anchors Away"	3:32
11.	"Something Like Laughter"	3:13
12.	"That's How The Story Ends"	3:38
13.	"On Distant Shores"	10:15
14.	"Hidden Track"	6:31

Retail released "Green" version

Disc one – The End is Near (Studio Album)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cannonball"	3:44
2.	"At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys"	2:09
3.	"So Far, So Bad"	3:03
4.	"New Years Eve"	3:53
5.	"American Kryptonite"	3:15
6.	"It Was Beautiful"	2:47
7.	"Wizard Needs Food, Badly"	3:12
8.	"Farewell To Arms"	4:03
9.	"See The Flames Begin To Crawl"	3:16
10.	"Anchors Away"	3:32
11.	"Something Like Laughter"	3:13
12.	"That's How The Story Ends"	3:38
13.	"On Distant Shores"	5:17
14.	"Cross of St. Andrew"	34:10

Disc two – The End is Here (Farewell Live Performace, Recorded November 22, 2003)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Intro"	0:13
2.	"Old West"	2:14
3.	"Handbook For The Sellout"	3:31
4.	"Where 0 Meets 15"	4:20
5.	"Cannonball"	3:19
6.	"Blue Comb '78"	4:23
7.	"At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys"	1:53
8.	"You Probably Shouldn't Move Here"	4:03
9.	"Oh Canada"	3:56
10.	"When I Go Out"	1:45
11.	"See The Flames Begin To Crawl"	3:13
12.	"Vultures"	3:26
13.	"You Can't Handle This"	4:42
14.	"American Kryptonite"	3:05
15.	"The Phantom Mullet"	3:12
16.	"The Medley Of Power Ballads And Bad Taste"	9:13
17.	"A New Hope"	2:35
18.	"World Without End"	6:03
19.	"Every New Day"	13:31

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
2004	Top Heatseekers	13