Admittedly, I do not know a lot about NOFX. I know they are part of the punk hierarchy, have released quite a few albums and are well loved and respected by fans, fellow bands and critics alike. After hearing The Decline it's not hard to understand why. Officially billed as an EP, this single-track 18-minute opus is bristling with ferocious power and energy. Yes, you heard right, the whole album is a single 18-minute track, but don't be fooled into thinking this is some prog-inspired jamfest. Housed within that one track are something like 10 separate blisteringly catchy and melodic songs, melded together with recurring riffs, two-note breaks and thematic intent. Lyrically the album is biting and sharp, pointing the finger and making light of society's ills in the band's own unique and humorous way. After listening to the album I'd have to guess that those Blink boys, as well as corporate punks the Offspring, have copped a note or two from the NOFX playbook. And while those other bands may have become more commercially successful, they come nowhere near recreating the intensity and power that NOFX yield on The Decline. And really, how can any album that begins with the phrase "Where are all the stupid people from?" lose?