Five Finger Death Punch comes out of Los Angeles, and they want to leave a trail defined by breakneck brutality. Unfortunately, the sound doesn’t bend too far one way or the other, so it may hinder the album over time, but for a debut 5FDP’s Way of the Fist shows promise for the group who mix a pinch of nu metal rhythm with old school guitar work.
Way of the Fist starts off on fire; “Ashes” begins the journey with speed, melody, and some sweet double bass provided by Jeremy Spencer. The title track falls into the same sound as most nu metal bands, with that bouncing bridge, but the speed dips in and out frequently, so its not so bad, and the chorus – “you might win one battle, but know this, I’ll win the fucking war” – will find its way through a person’s yell almost instantly. The guitar work by Zoltan and Darrel Roberts keeps “Salvation” alive. “Bleeding” is the first single off the album, and it sounds like one. It’s the radio friendly track, not particularly heavy; just trying to keep a good thing going, and if it weren’t for the double bass it could easily be confused with so many other metal/rock radio singles of the past few years. After these tracks have been heard, a person will know exactly what to expect the rest of the album. “A Place to Die,” “The Devil’s Own,” and on to the end follows the same formula: guitar openings that start running with the double bass, which starts feeling forced after a while. And the vocals of Ivan L. Moody fluctuate between the growls and the melodic. Matt Snell backs everyone up on the bass – that’s about all there is to say about that.
Way of the Fist is good for a debut album, and shows that these guys can deliver a powerful effort, and it could potentially leave the listener wondering what’s next. They’re not trying to do anything different, just provide some quality metal for the enthusiasts out there. This album is not valuable for rapid, repeated listening, but it would be one worth revisiting every few months or so.
No comments:
Post a Comment