Five Finger Death Punch

MYSAConnection

posted on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:16:26

THE WAY OF THE FIST

Five Finger Death Punch take much of their blistering energy and douse it in infectious and hooky combinations of melody and harmony, which gives ‘The Way of the Fist‘ an entirely new feel and direction than just searing metal core patterns. Ivan Moody, although better known as “Ghost” from his Motograter and current Ghost Machine days, shows off his extensive range, fluctuating flawlessly from gut-wrenching roars to enveloping and at times epic melodic approaches. Dynamically, Moody aids the album tremendously, as his evident attention to volume and pace provide ‘The Way of the Fist‘ with a tighter and more professional sound. The dual guitar work of Zoltan Bathory and Darrell Roberts is the driving force behind Five Finger Death Punch, and they are able to successfully pull off somewhat of a split personality. The duo matches explosive and visceral pulses effectively with smooth and textured chord progressions, giving ‘The Way of the Fist‘ a more digestible disposition. Solos are placed somewhat on the backburner, and although they are present and often times indulgent, they never once compromise the succinct nature of the album. Matt Snell’s bass constructions fuse muscular downbeats with bouncy rhythms, which serves as the perfect backdrop to Jeremy Spencer’s consistent drumming; Spencer keeps the double bass pounding at all the appropriate moments, yet keeps the driving nature of ‘The Way of the Fist‘ alive and breathing. Five Finger Death Punch have struck somewhat a solid niche between scathing metal core and rock radio, which, although on paper sounds cheesy and forgettable, is conquered by the band.