Five Finger Death Punch Deliver In A Major Way With New Album

Consistent is one word that can definitely be used to describe Five Finger Death Punch. The band has released three albums so far in their career and all three have been certified gold, meaning sales of 500,000.  Now, the word consistent can also apply to two different mindsets depending on which camp you belong to. If you are a knucklehead, a nickname for fans of the band, then it would be safe to say that you think the band has consistently delivered some of the best head banging music since their first album The Way of the Fist came out in 2007.

Then, there are those who would say that the band has consistently put out some of the most overrated music ever since the release of their debut album. It seems that the band has developed a huge following of haters, which usually means that you are doing something right. Would their new album The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 convert some haters or just fuel their fire? Well, I think the answer to both questions would be yes. Let me dissect this new album and hopefully you will understand.

Ivan Moody and the boys open the album up with a track that has been all over rock radio, “Lift Me Up”, which features guest vocals by the iconic Rob Halford of Judas Priest. This is pretty damn near perfection for the boys. It has that chugging guitar riff through it that you associate with the band and it’s infectious as hell. Next up is “Watch You Bleed” and don’t let its acoustic guitar intro fool you because this is no ballad. It doesn’t take too long for Jeremy Spencer’s double kick drum sets in and takes over and it’s a full blown assault.

“You” is definitely a stand-out track and it provides one of the most intense, rapid fire vocal deliveries from Ivan Moody that I have ever heard.  “The Wrong Side of Heaven” is up next and it proves that the band has definitely perfected the modern age metal ballad. “Burn MF” is a tender, emotional, heartfelt song (insert heavy sarcasm). This should be another great song to perform live when the band hits the road, complete with a great sing-a-long chorus.

“Anywhere but Here” features a guest vocal appearance by Maria Brink of In This Moment. The two bands definitely have ties together that go back quite a few years. Ivan and Maria have also been trying to record a song together for quite some time now, but the suits got in the way a time of two. It’s a great song, but I kind of feel like Maria was underutilized on it. There are more guest appearances on the album including Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed. One of the most interesting tracks would be the band’s cover of LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”. I was really looking forward to this when I read about it, but it just doesn’t blow me away. It features an appearance by Tech N9ne, but I think it would have been much cooler if LL himself would have been on it.

Ivan mixes up his vocals on here and delivers the lyrics just how you would expect him to. The riffage from Jason Hook and Zoltan Bathory may very well be some of their best work yet. Lastly, both certainly not least, would be the amazing rhythm section of Jeremy Spencer on drums and Chris Kael on bass, who seem to hold it all together and provide the underlying assault that sometimes gets overlooked and underappreciated.

Overall, it is definitely a very solid album and in time may prove to be their best one yet. It has a harder, more aggressive edge to it than their last album American Capitalist had. Will it convert some haters over to the land of being a knucklehead? I think it’s strong enough of an album to do so, yet it is definitely a huge dose of fuel for the fire for all of those haters out there. I don’t think there is much anyone can do for some of them because they are just always going to hate.

Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch Keeps It Real Son

Five Finger Death Punch will be getting very little sleep in 2013. The band has not one but two new studio albums coming out this year as well as a co-headlining spot on this summer's Rockstar Mayhem Festival. There's also a headline tour in the plans, but that will be a few months away. I sat down with The Beard himself, Chris Kael and we talked about singing with Rob Halford, being a KISS fan and more for Rock Revolt magazine. Check it out:

http://rockrevoltmagazine.com/Magazine/July2013/RockRevoltIssue5.html#p=1

Five Finger Death Company Prove They're No Fluke With American Capitalist

Ivan Moody and the guys from 5 Finger Death Punch have a sound that is two parts testosterone driven rock with one part aggression. The band burst on the scene in 2007 with their debut The Way of the Fist. Ivan’s distinctive vocals and the band’s take no prisoners approach to their live show quickly established them a solid following in the world of metal.

Their second album, War is the Answer, was released in 2009 propelled the band to a whole new level. This album saw the band fine tuning their sound and the results were heard all over the radio. The album was deep in singles, six to be exact, with their cover of Bad Company’s song “Bad Company” exposing the band to a whole new audience.

That brings us to one of 2011’s most anticipated releases: American Capitalist. Producer Kevin Churko was called in to produce again and the results are nothing short of amazing. The album opens with the title track and quickly lets you know that the 5FDP sound is alive and well. The twin guitar arsenal of Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook quickly begin to lay down the solos that are inspiring a whole new generation of guitar hero wannabes.

“Under and Over It” is the first single released and it blew up big everywhere upon its release back in July. Ivan’s signature growls mixed with clean vocals on the chorus are heard loud and clear on this track. It’s definitely a very catchy track and a great choice as a leadoff single for all outlets.

Track three is one that has been met with a great deal of opposition from fans and critics alike. The song is called “The Pride” and it’s been butchered for its “cheesy” or “fluffy” lyrics, which to many make no sense. Basically, it’s three minutes of Ivan naming off numerous staples from our pop culture. He then states “I’m not selling out, I’m buying it! Only the strong survive, I will not be forgotten.” Lyrics are always open to interpretation, but I think it’s all tongue in cheek and Ivan’s drive to be part of those iconic nuggets of pop culture.

5FDP also explore their softer side that was unleashed on their last album. “Coming Down” is a great example of the band being willing to show that side of themselves without coming across as wimpy. Ivan’s clean vocals combined with some very dark lyrics make this a powerful song. The other entry would be one of the best songs on the album entitled “I Remember Everything”. This song is today’s version of the big power ballad from the 80s, complete with the big guitar solo in the middle. It’s a song which serves as a letter home to Ivan’s family telling them that he’s sorry for all of his shortcomings. It’s a very powerful and emotional song with a great chorus made for being included in their live show. This song will blow up big when released as a single; mark my words.

To compliment the softer side of the band, there are plenty of heavy tracks too. “Menace” and “Wicked Ways” are standout tracks for those craving the harder side of the band. Ivan’s vocals are dead on and there is plenty of shredding on both tracks. Let me add that Jeremy Spencer is a juggernaut on the drums and takes that double kick to a whole new level. The man is insane!

It’s really hard to say that an album is perfect, but this one is pretty darn close. “The Pride” is a take it or leave it track for most, but other than that, this album is solid all the way through. Ivan’s vocals are stronger and even more distinct than ever. The rhythm section of Spencer on drums and new addition Chris Kael on bass have already formed a solid foundation for the band to play off of. I have already praised the one/two assault of Hook and Bathory on guitar.

I think this album will propel the band to that next level, but time will have to tell. The initial week’s sales were a strong indicator as it debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Top 200. In today’s turbulent music industry, it’s not a sprint, but a marathon, so we will have to wait and see.

My Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2011

Hello there fellow music lovers. We are closing the chapter of our lives known as 2011 and beginning a new one with 2012. It seems as if everyone comes up with some sort of “Best of” or “Worst” list for the year and yes, I am no exception. Here are my Top 10 Favorite Albums that were released in 2011. It’s not based on popularity or overall sales or any kind of survey. This is just a list of what moved me in 2011 and let me tell you, it was hard narrowing it down to 10.

10. Peter Gabriel – New Blood: This album contains orchestral re-workings of songs spanning Peter’s career. The songs really take on a whole new life with this rich production and help to re-emphasize how prolific of a songwriter Gabriel really is.



9. Five Finger Death Punch – American Capitalist: Ivan and the boys returned with a huge album this year as it entered the Billboard Top 200 in the Top 10. Of course, there with many who cried “sell-out” when this album was released and it appealed to the masses. I think there is still plenty of aggression there on many tracks just like in earlier releases. Maybe it’s the fact that there are two songs that would fall under the “ballad” label. Regardless, these guys have worked very hard to get to the level that they are at right now and deserve the success they are experiencing.



8. The Foo Fighters – Wasting Light: What a huge year for the Foos! A huge album, a successful tour that included playing alongside many of their idols including Alice Cooper, Roger Taylor of Queen, Joan Jett and John Paul Jones, just to name a few. They received 6 Grammy nominations too! Earlier in the year, they were the musical guests on SNL and Dave even appeared in one of their skits.



7. Sixx A.M. – This Is Gonna Hurt: Nikki’s “side project” just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger. The follow-up to the hugely successful Heroin Diaries came blazing out of the starter’s gate and hasn’t slowed up. “Lies of the Beautiful People” was a huge hit and got the fans clamoring for a tour, even though Nikki has stated that the band is not suppose to be a touring band. I guess time will tell!



6. Anthrax – Worship Music: 1/4th of the Big 4 and one of the pioneers of thrash metal who have been an active force in music for almost 30 years. 2011 saw them release what many have called their defining album. Worship Music saw the return of Joey Belladonna and a return to more of their trademark, classic sound. The band sounds fresh and refocused and their album was met with raving reviews from fans and critics alike. They also played 2 US dates with the Big 4 including a show at Yankee Stadium. The band then ventured out on a very successful headlining tour with Testament as support.



5. Shinedown – Somewhere In the Stratosphere: The band released this as a 2CD/DVD combo with one CD/DVD being an all electric show and the other CD/DVD being an all acoustic show. It was also released in a single CD/DVD combo so the customer could choose which show they would rather have. I love both shows, but the acoustic show is just something magical. Lead singer Brent Smith introduces each song and tells the origins of how the song came about. To take these songs and to strip them down acoustically just shows how special these guys truly are. The music is amazing, but this allows the storyteller side of Brent to truly shine.



4. Adele – 21: Although radio overplayed “Rolling in the Deep” to the point of over toleration, I am still a huge fan of this album. I was sold on Adele with her first album 19 and this just made me an even bigger fan. Her cover of the Cure’s “Lovesong” is just incredible. She appeared on the David Letterman show earlier this year and I was totally blown away with how powerful her voice was live. It was a bit alarming when I heard that she was undergoing throat surgery this year. I mean she is just in her twenties and shouldn’t be having such problems at an early age. All that smoking must have really taken its toll on her! She ended the year by releasing a CD/DVD combo Live at the Royal Albert Hall that really showcased just how special this talented singer truly is.



3. Warrant – Rockaholic: The “down boys” returned in a major way with their first album since Born Again in 2006 and with a new vocalist too. Former Lynch Mob vocalist Robert Mason took over vocal duties on this one and it was a great fit for everyone. The album was reminiscent of that old 80s sound, complete with power ballads, but it still managed to sound current. The first single “Life’s a Song” got the attention of quite a few fans, both young and old. The band didn’t commit to a full tour in 2011, but they did play quite a few live dates.



2. Kopek – White Collar Lies: This Irish trio came out of nowhere in 2011 and created a major buzz. Their debut album White Collar Lies is good, ole fashioned rock and roll and blues with catchy riffs and choruses and meaningful lyrics that show this band is far beyond typical or predictable. They released videos for the title track and “Love is Dead” that were soon all over the internet and other video outlets. They secured the opening spot on the Hinder/Saving Abel/My Darkest Days tour early in the year. Even though they played to venues that were only half full at the most given their early slot, they won crowds over on each stop of the tour.



1. Duran Duran – All You Need is Now: The Wild Boys, minus Andy, returned with an album that saw them return to their old school sound thanks to the production efforts of Mark Ronson. He has been a fan of Duran for a very long time and wanted them to record the “Son of Rio”. The album definitely had that classic Duran vibe to it with John Taylor’s trademark bass providing the backbeat and Nick Rhodes’ countless layers of synth melodies. The band released it exclusively on iTunes for a few months before releasing a physical copy to the retail stores and online. The album debuted at number one on the iTunes charts all around the world. The band went out on a successful tour only to be cut short when Simon suffered from a throat ailment. The band later returned to make up the dates that were cancelled. They even performed a highly viewed concert broadcast on VEVO that was directed by the renowned David Lynch. The second single and video released, “Girl Panic”, caused a bit of a media sensation as it starred several iconic female supermodels that each portrayed a different member of the band. The video was even banned in certain markets for being “too sexy” if you can believe that! The guys have proven that they still have plenty of creativity in them after 30 years of creating countless classics.



So, there you have it! My personal Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2011. You may agree with some and you may disagree too. If you haven’t heard any of these, then I encourage you to take a little time out of your busy schedule and stop and listen to them. Who knows, you may actually get turned onto something that at first you thought you would never like. I hope to see you back here in 2012 to see what that year brought us in music!