Monday, April 6, 2009

Five Finger Death Punch: Way of the Fist (2007)




THE WAY OF THE FIST (2007)
Five Finger Death Punch
From the all too soon abortive ashes of nu-metal's brightest star, MOTOGRATER, rises FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. With their rage filled debut album, THE WAY OF THE FIST, these guys proved that the driving power of nu metal has not yet lost its power to make people think and emote and feel a latent power in empathy and humanity for one another, and yet, they surpass even the stellar sounds of their contemporaries. This is a group of musicians who know the value of a good hook- lyrically and musically. Each song has a definitive sound, but different enough that each could easily become a single or a metal anthem. The bass and guitar work keeps a consistency that lends itself to the drum's polyrhythmic approach. No song is without space or layers. This is not simplistic metal; in no way derivative or shallow. No band out there sounds like these guys. Many have tried to find that mix of hard core, but still retain a sort of popish catchiness, to their songs. FFDP has succeeded.
Hand's down, this was my favorite metal release of last year. Once you plumb the angry, frustrated depths of such songs as 'Ashes', 'Meet the Monster' or 'White Knuckles' it's easy to understand why this album debuted at 3 on the Billboard New Artist Chart, and made the Billboard 200 as well in its first week of sales.
Now with a huge summer tour already in the works, The Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival (http://www.mayhemfest.com/) it's a sure bet FFDP is going to take the world by storm in 2008. Look for them to play alongside such groups as Slipknot, Disturbed and Mastodon, and perhaps to even upstage them this year.
Discography:
PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE [EP] (2007)
WAY OF THE FIST (2007)
(http://www.fivefingerdeathpunch.com/)