Review Summary: FFDP do what they know how to and mostly succeed. Don't expect anything revolutionary and things will be okay.
Five Finger Death Punch have been called quite a few things: arrogant, pissed, cocky, cliché, derivative, etc. While some of these aspects of the band are quite truthful, in that Ivan Moody always sounds like he’s ready to rip your head off, there’s one thing that a great deal of people still either fail to realize or admit; as a mainstream hard rock/metal band, the group are quite talented. While
War is the Answer still maintained anger in the vein of
The Way of the Fist, it was more refined and showed that the guys are willing to slow the music and the angst down to a certain degree, as seen in the hit “Far From Home” and relative unknown gem “Crossing Over.”
War is the Answer left the listener with a great deal to look forward to on a third album, and that’s where we now find ourselves, with the third album titled
American Capitalist.
As if anyone expected any different, we are immediately greeted by an angry Ivan Moody, spewing out lyrics such as “I’ve got a kill ‘em all/give a s**t/license to hate” and “You’re a coward/with no power/just a stain on the floor” on opener "American Capitalist." It’s the prototypical angry FFDP song, complete with screams, growls, angst ridden vocals, chugging riffs, an abundance of double bass, and a rapid-fire solo that succeeds in releasing some of the built up tension present throughout the whole song. These sometimes laughable and overly enraged lyrics make their way into first single "Under and Over It," which might as well be titled "American Capitalist, part 2." However, give Ivan credit for doing something different on this song; rather than the typical blend of cursing and raging, the listener has the fortune of hearing angry in three different languages at one point. Furthermore, while on the discussion of lyrics, it can be noted that Ivan tends to use song titles from prior songs and albums to fill space on some of the songs, notable inclusion the very first track, where we are greeted with the apparent fact that “War is the Answer/like I told you before” and “No mercy/it’s the way of the fist.” Honestly, the lyrics don’t greatly affect the overall quality of the music and songs as a whole, but anyone that pays attention to the lyrics has to be thinking the guys can do better than that.
Nonetheless, skip ahead to the next track and take a listen to" The Pride." The song starts off quite well, with Moody demonstrating his great vocal talent by harmonizing with the music. Sounds like we are in for a treat, that is, until the singing starts. This is one of the very few cases where the atrocious lyrical content is a major detriment to the overall whole of the song. Musically speaking, the song is quite good, with a nice ambient guitar intro followed by double bass from Spencer to start off the song, and a solid chugging riff present throughout its entirety. Sure, the guys have done better, but musically, the song is very good, even despite the weak solo we are left to settle for. But as a whole, the band’s take on Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire" is just cringe-inducing if one can’t get passed the lyrics.
Conversely, as stated earlier, when the guys try their hand at slowing down and making a somewhat serious song, the results are often their strongest works. "Coming Down" is quite akin to" Crossing Over," from their previous album, with a nice acoustic intro and very little instance of screaming vocals until the song nears the end, where the growls increase in frequency. Nevertheless, throughout the majority of the song, we are treated to phenomenal cleans, nicely used acoustic guitar, and a change of pace from Hook and Bathory: a restrained and unpretentious solo that compliments the song. Along with "Under and Over It," "Back for More," and "Remember Everything," "Coming Down" should make for a popular and widely played mainstream radio song.
Speaking of those particular songs, "Remember Everything" is probably the most radio friendly on the entire album, but also one of the strongest. Starting with a melodic string introduction and more cleans from Ivan, declaring “Dear Mother…Dear Father/ I know I failed you,” the song is easily the most restrained song they have released since “Far From Home.” The chorus is something that would not be out of place on every mainstream radio station, whether rock, metal or pop, and is easily the catchiest the guys have ever written. By the end, it's apparent that Ivan put a great deal of emotion into his vocal performance, with his emotionally strained delivery standing out at the end. Also, very parallel to the aforementioned "Far From Home," the solo in this song is one of the more emotionally charged they’ve released, which breaks the song up very nicely. They aren’t looking to blow us away with overly technical and fast passages on songs like this; rather, the solo is there to compliment the feeling of the entire song.
The only other song that could be noted as being truly different, but in a good way, is "Back for More." Maintaining an interesting and oddly catchy riff throughout, the song is destined for rock radio all over the country; whether it’s the odd vocal delivery of Moody, the anthemic chorus, or the non-stop, frenzied drumming of Jeremy Spencer, this is a solid hard rock song where the guys offer up something different from the rest of their radio hits and succeed in spades. The lyrical content and pace of the song are what make this feel like FFDP's anthem, with Ivan proclaiming that "It's time to get in the game, You gotta fight til it hurts and then you do it again" and "It's time to rise up, man up, get back up, never been and won't be broken/...You've gotta reach down, dig deep, and break ground, Show them you won't be beaten." The song is something entirely different from most other FFDP songs, with a predominantly positive message maintained throughout; and, as a whole, the song works extremely well, making it easily one of their best.
For every "Back for More" and "Remember Everything," however, there is a song like "100 Ways to Hate," the dictionary definition of a poorly thought out filler track. From the overly angry, borderline ludicrous lyrics, and the recycled riff, to the paint by numbers solo and the god-awful snarl before Ivan declares "I Hate You/that's an understatement," this song is everything that FFDP should have avoided as a final track. Unlike previous closer "War is the Answer," there is nothing redeeming about "100 Ways to Hate." It is Five Finger Death Punch at their absolute worst, which is a shame because of the rest of the album is quite good. Thankfully they decided to leave it for last, as it may have otherwise hampered the flow of the remainder of the album.
Nevertheless, for any fan of Five Finger Death Punch’s previous albums, this album is a solid piece of work that cements the guys as one of the main attractions in mainstream rock and metal. Don’t expect anything revolutionary and the album will continue to grow after numerous listens.
Recommended Tracks
American Capitalist
Under and Over It
Coming Down
Remember Everything
Back for More
I'll Fall
