Album Review: Five Finger Death Punch – A Decade of Destruction
2 min read
2017 sees metal mastheads Five Finger Death Punch celebrating a Decade of Destruction – and what better way to mark such a momentous occasion than with a greatest hits album? Comprised mostly from their biggest hits such as Coming Down and Wrong Side of Heaven, it also sees the delivery of two new tracks – the band’s first for almost 2 years.
Right from the get go, Five Finger Death Punch aren’t mucking about; thrashing about so violently on Trouble that trying to head-bang in time will probably result in whiplash. The first of two new tunes, Trouble possesses a frenetic energy that refuses to falter for even a half second. This album certainly isn’t for the faint hearted, but for those hoping to find a more subtle introduction to the world of Five Finger Death Punch, there is the slightly more commercial sounding Gone Away to help dip those precursory toes into. It’s a cover of a song by The Offspring, hence the familiarity many will no doubt feel as the intro ticks by.
There are some songs that can only be played loud to annoy parents and neighbours – Lift Me Up is exactly that song! An exercise in raw metal power, it stands head and shoulders above the bog standard riposte to societal norms. Five Finger Death Punch embody the spirit of every spurned misfit the world has ever seen, cocooning them in a blanket of comforting noise. Jekyll and Hyde is a lot less conflicted than the title would suggest, focusing on the more nuanced inner turmoil of this well known tale. This track will go unnoticed by many, but it would make for an amazing Guitar Hero test of skill.
Battle Born and Far From Home bring the record to an almighty halt, the latter a stark juxtaposition that sounds more Enrique Iglesias does Nickleback than all out rock warfare. Despite his penchant for screaming and yelling, frontman Ivan Moody has an incredible voice and it’s soothing to hear him not hiding behind the tried and tested metal bravado.
Five Finger Death Punch win the award for loudest celebration of a decade in music, stamping their feet and causing chaos with their words. Heavy metal has never been a very approachable genre, but there are flashes of real genius throughout this greatest hits collection that hint at a band gradually softening their edges and allowing their souls to be less harshly beaten down by the world. Here’s to another Decade of Destruction!
