| LVL IV | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | October 5, 2004 |
| Genre | Alternative rock, post-grunge, rap metal |
| Label | Epic |
| Producer | Mike Flynn |
LVL IV, pronounced Level Four, is the debut by American post-grunge band Future Leaders of the World. It features the song "Let Me Out" which received extensive airplay and launched Future Leaders of the World into the mainstream. The songs "Kill Pop" and "Make You Believe" were also featured on the game ATV Offroad Fury 3.
The development of LVL IV began with frontman Phil Taylor enlisting bassist Toby Cole and drummer Carl Messina. Financed by Puddle of Mudd's Mike Flynn, who Taylor had previously befriended, they arrived in Los Angeles to record a demo which led to Cole's departure by creative differences. By late 2003, bassist Bill Hershey and lead guitarist Jake Stutevoss joined and Taylor negotiated a contract with Epic Records. LVL IV hit shelves the following autumn in 2004.
LVL IV features a heavy post-grunge style easily comparable to Nirvana, a pioneer of grunge, and Puddle of Mudd, a band directly influenced by the former. Taylor's vocals involve strong use of harsh screaming but also fast-paced rapping in tracks such as "Everyday" and "Kill Pop." Lyrically, LVL IV also contains various political themes, drawing further comparison to Rage Against the Machine.
LVL IV featured two singles, "Let Me Out" and "Everyday." The former gained higher chart success and had a music video while the latter also performed well on radio.
In promotion of LVL IV, Future Leaders of the World joined SnoCore 2005 with the likes of Chevelle and Crossfade. They also took part in the Jägermeister Music Tour with Submersed and headliners Alter Bridge that spring. [1] It was during this extensive concert schedule that Epic Records informed the band of their contract's termination.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    link |
Johnny Loftus gave LVL IV 2.5 out of 5 stars and did not write an extensive review but noted that the album "looked to the sounds of alternative's heyday – Nirvana; Rage Against the Machine – as a guide." He also noted "Spotlight," "Everyday," and "Your Gov't Loves You" as AMG Track Picks.
LVL IV spent one week on the Billboard 200 at #153 and reached #4 on Top Heatseekers with a total of 20 charting weeks.
| Chart | Peak position | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 153 | 2004 |
| Top Heatseekers | 4 | 2004 |
| Single | Chart | Peak position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Let Me Out" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 6 | 2004 |
| "Let Me Out" | Modern Rock Tracks | 32 | 2004 |
| "Everyday" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 30 | 2005 |
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Alternative rock is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s with the likes of the grunge, shoegaze, and Britpop subgenres in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively. During this period, many record labels were looking for "alternatives", as many corporate rock, hard rock, and glam metal acts from the 1980s were beginning to grow stale throughout the music industry. The emergence of Generation X as a cultural force in the 1990s also contributed greatly to the rise of alternative rock.
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