Posted: October 6th, 2009
Contributed By: J4ESTER
 |
Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: September 22nd, 2009 via Propect Park |
| Five Finger Death Punch is:
Ivan (Vocals) |
Overview: I guess after blowing up this past year the only thing you can do is start a war. So that’s exactly what Five Finger Death Punch has done on their highly anticipated follow up to ‘Way of the Fist’. Some may say that the explosiveness has left the band, but I beg to differ. They are just offering a newly designed shaped charge on ‘War is the Answer’. From the start you will hear the sound that 5FDP have offered up before and before it’s over you’ll actually hear something completely amazing and new.
The Good: 5FDP clearly know how to keep a listener coming back for more. This record surely streamlines that situation by making you not reach for the skip button. From “Dying Breed” to “No One Gets Left Behind” you will hear what you’ve come to expect from the new bad boys of metal—heavy hitting double bass, dueling guitars, and the caged animal that is Ivan. But inside each one of these songs you get a little glimpse at what Ivan is capable of. You will find more of that later. “No One Gets Left Behind” is a song made for the Service Members of the United States and even takes a real recording from them during the breakdown, straight from the battle field. But as this song ends you run into “Crossing Over” which turns your idea of 5FDP on its head. A great lyrical ballad telling your loved one not to hurry up and be with you again after yourself has passed away. The chorus feels like the husband is telling his wife to live the rest of her life by not fretting that he has gone. “Far From Home” hits the brakes a bit to show you the control this band has to make you really feel the lyrics. I guess having a few songs that slow the pace on the album really make you see how ferocious the other songs can get. Ivan was actually the one that wanted to have an instrumental (Canto 34) on this album and it really displays the talent behind the brutal front man. I first saw them perform “Bad Company” in Summerfest in Milwaukee where they did a headlining show. I thought it was filler at first but they really have made it their own and Paul Rodgers should really be proud of it. From slingshots to hellfire missiles 5FDP really knows how to make them work for different purposes and the best part is that they can control them all.
The Bad: Really there isn’t too much to report down here. You got what you wanted on the hard hitting songs, and even more from the reined-in tracks. I will admit that “Burn It Down” and “War is The Answer” feel recycled from the debut album but it gives you more of what you wanted. So really it’s not too much of a disappointment.
Bottomline: Five Finger Death Punch have stepped it up a notch on this record while blasting your ear holes, but letting them breath at the same time. There is a bright future for these up-and-comers, if they keep up the intensity and angst that they have brought with them. People need angry music when they are feeling down, getting pumped for a big game, just going for a run or even for just chilling with. The best part will be if they can bring the quality and power that this album holds in a live setting. They pulled it off on the first record and that formula will carry over for this as well.
TuneLab Rating: 8 out of 10
75 Responses to “Review: Five Finger Death Punch – ‘War is the Answer’”
Great review! This is one of the albums I need to buy soon. Along with Alice in Chains and Breaking Benjamin’s new ones
Great album. In my top 5 this year for sure. 9/10. Got a good mix of the metal and then some softer-type songs. Ivan actually has a really good singing voice, too, haha.
This is a fantastic album. Some parts it seems like a continuation of the first album, but other parts you can see where they have progressed. I also think it is a 9/10.
7/10 I was hoping for a bit more maturity, but their lyrics are still very very straight forward, and not all that creative. With that said it’s still an enjoyable album.
I agree with Nightmare, great album! I loved the first one so the continuation factor is a plus for me. However, there is enough new stuff here to keep it interesting and not sounding totally recycled. 8.5/10 for me. No One Gets Left Behind is fantastic!
Thanks for posting Jay
This review is shit.
My bad: The reviewer is shit. Hahahaha, much better.
I’ve really enjoyed this album. It gives you the the same feel as the first album with some progression that gives you a glimpse of what’s to come. I agree with Matt about the lyrics, but on the whole I think it’s a step in the right direction. 8.5/10
Ouch FF. atleast you liked the review
Dude, I was just waiting for your scathing reply. ^That wasn’t it. Anyway, the review was excellent. No funny business. Right in your face. Just like the Flyers kicking the shit out of the Caps.
IDK if they kicked the shit out of them. a 5-5OT game where they got lucky with that GW goal.
It was a great game. That kind of hockey gets the blood boiling.
love Five Finger Death Punch…”The Way of the Fist” came out right when i was in the middle of a nasty (but still impending) divorce. you can bet there was at least 3-5 tracks on any given P.L. of mine during that time.
i’m partial and cant give them an unbiased rating of my own…
I give this album 9.7/10. It’s not quite perfect but very close. Like Heather, I’m very biased to this band just like I am with Mudvayne and Disturbed as well. But this album I think is much better than their first. It’s more listenable, yet still very aggressive and insanely catchy. Has some sweet solo, solid drumming and few witty vocal lines “I’ve got a gun, you’ve got a gun. Let’s write a tragic ending” – Succubus. Best disc I’ve heard this year. The only one impending that might touch this one is new mudvayne, or new Atreyu!
Let’s not play the biased card too much. If you like something stand tall and proud. I love all those bands you mentioned and when I say like I mean all of it. They would have to go country for me to change my view.
lol. Well I’m playing the biased card, but I’m also using what I’ve heard in the album. If a band sucks ass, I won’t listen to them. If they suck live it also dampens my view alot of an artist.
A 9.7? That rounds up to a 10 haha. No way in hell I could give this album that high of a rating, I’ve only given maybe 15-20 albums a 10 in my lifetime. Though, I did really like this album.
That’s why I said 9.7. It’s almost a ten. It’s not quite good enough to round to a 10, but it’s much better than a 9.
Names some 10’s you’ve given. I’m not going to knock you choices, and neither should anyone else. ratings, are always a personal opinion thing. Only album, I can think of the top of my head I have given a 10 to would be… “Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood” by Volbeat
Fuel-Natural Selection, Trapt-S/T, Live-Throwing Copper,Third Eye Blind-S/T, Goo Goo Dolls-Dizzy Up The Girl, Safetysuit-Life Left To Go, The Exies- A Modern Way of Living With the Truth, Faktion-S/T, Disturbed-Ten Thousand Fists, Matchbox 20-More Than You Think You Are.
Full Devil Jacket
If I would have made my list a big longer, Savage Garden’s debut would be on there, but most people probably make fun of that album haha.
not bad choices I wouldn’t give 10,000 Fists anything higher than a 9, but I guess if you had a more emotional connection to it maybe. But solid choices.
I wasn’t running your opinion down about this album btw, I just couldn’t give this album anymore than a 7. I was hoping for a bit more maturity, and more creative lyrics. I still think their lyrics are a little to straight forward at times.
It is a way more mature effort than their first Matt. Undeniably. I can definitely second that he writes very straightforward lyrics. But that is part of their all kill, no hold back approach. I wouldn’t love ‘em as much if they weren’t as forthcoming. A 7 is way too low for how solid this record is straight through. All the good songs are Exceptional, and all the others are awesome. It just doesn’t let up it’s catchiness of it’s aggressiveness.
I was very pleased with this album, I can’t wait for more ^^
Yah, I was almost killed my self waiting so long for it to come out.
I can’t wait until the next Motograter album comes out.
Motograter without Ivan Moody isn’t Motograter. This album is incredible, though. Better than their first and the ballads are a really nice addition.
Yah, I dunno if I would buy a Motograter album without Ivan. And yeah, so much musical variation on this disc.
Motograter without Ivan would beMudvayne without Chad Gray, or Disturbed without David Draiman. Some bands (unlike Adema, and Fuel) just wouldn’t work at all without the original vocalist.
As long as they play the motograter it will all sound magical.
LOL. True enough fly. Right on the Money.
Is anyone still playing the motogrator?
I don’t think so.
How about the skin flute?
I only listen to the Motograter with Ivan.
…. wait what was that last thing fly said?
Dish, you know how to play the male organ.
He better be good at it for how much he practises.
Hahahahaha, well we all know, practice makes perfect…..
Yah he trains like he is trying for the olympics or something. Like 8-10 hours a day. For him it would be the special olympics, or paralympics. Whichever one is more accurate for a man with a tictac for genitalia.
pffff whatever…. You know I’d get gold for a man with my disability.
soaplick won the gold for smallest penis.
This is probably the best review I have ever read, and I am not being sarcastic.
Yes you are…..
I just realized who the reviewer was a few minutes ago so I had to give him some shit. He deserves it every once in a while.
I don’t think his ranking was accurate though. “I’m going to give this review an 8, despite having nothing but positives to say about it. Yet, I’ll give BB, TDG, Skillet a 9+, while having much negative to say about the albums.”
I liked his review….That numbering system is a crock of shit.
That’s what I’m saying. Based on his review it should’ve been somewhere around a 9 or more.
TNB, you know what else is funny? All the talk about this is the best album of the year…..Two weeks later, no this is the album of the year…..What the fuck, there’s no single one album of the year.
LOL. I agree. I think based on how much I love this band, how long I listened to their last album, and how much I’ve listened to this one already, I think this might be my personal album of the year.
“All I wanted was your honesty, something more than this, something more than thi-iss” Dying Breed.
Spot on. This really has to be one of the best of the year.
Indeed. I listen to the full album atleast nce a day at work.
And twice while inflating your blow-up doll.
lol. Mood music is what I call it.
Hahaha, after all that blowing I’m sure the mood is blown.
All over her face…!
Dale you dress me up as a doll…. any relevance?
Hahaha, Dale, that was a thread stopper……
Yeah man thats my job. Ya douche.
TNB’s spreading his wings (maxi).
lol. Now quoting Heather are we fly?
Hahahah, I have to start keeping a file between you, dish, Troy, and Heather the original material will soon fade away.
lol. Yeah. I have been commenting the shit outta this site lately. I can hardly remember things I’ve commented on. I look back on some and “I actually said that? Hmm, don’t remember that one.”
Hahaha, I have done the same thing. I’ll go to a topic and see that I commented and am like, when the hell did I say that. I think Mikel does it using my account…..hahaha
lol. That’d be funny. This sucks that my job is so slow I can go one here all day long, but then again…kinda awesome. On tunelab and watching the Canucks beat up on the Ducks tonite, both whilst being paid at work. Awesome!
What about the gay Sedin twins?
lol. Hey man, Henrik is still getting good points without Daniel. And Mikael Samuelsson is stepping up. See that winner in the SO last night. Pretty ‘lil move. Besides, those guys till now, haven’t missed more than like 3 games a year. And they take one hell of a beating behind the net and never give the puck up. So they may be gay, but great players.
Agreed on all counts, the gay swedes, the comments, the music, the hefty man sex. Love this site! Oh and Daledo didn’t know you had monthly visits.
I do now. As some sources would state.
Hey Dale, just kidding about the twins. What do I care where they park their wood?
Great album! 9/10