Another two years, another FFDP album. AfterLife kind of snuck up on me despite the release of “IOU” and “Times Like These” in the runup. The two songs are a decent choice of singles given that they show both sides of Five Finger Death Punch’s sound – the loud rocker and the more melodic. This is typical of all their previous releases and the formula has been used again for this album. If it ain’t broke…
“Welcome To The Circus” is a brilliant opener. Catchy, heavy, in your face and you’re just wrapped up in it within seconds. The title track isn’t bad either, and then we have a break with the lighter “Times Like These”.
I don’t think FFDP have done a heaver track than “Roll Dem Bones” which is pummeling from the first note, while “Pick Up Behind You” straddles the heavier and lighter sides of their sound. Kael’s bass really thrums through on this one. “Judgment Day” hits the samples hard but still manages to be a rock song overall, and “IOU” is typically singalong. “Thanks For Asking” takes us into acoustic heavy rock territory, gradually building to a heavier ending. It flows into “Blood And Tar” which is suitably sludgy given its title.
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“All I Know” is about as much of a power ballad a track as the band have ever done. Not out of place, but almost harking back a couple of decades in of influences. “Gold Gutter” is back into the “full on frontal assault” style (just wait for the “bounce”), and the album rounds off with “The End”. Well, it would be silly to write a track like that and shove it in the middle, wouldn’t it? It is a decent track to end the album on, though.
Five Finger Death Punch do have a problem in that people have expectations regarding their sound. They’re a huge band, and can’t afford to play too fast and loose with what’s got them to where they are. While there are some definite belters on AfterLife, there are a couple of songs that water it down a bit. Maybe it’ll take a couple more listens for the hooks to sink in, but first impressions are that this is overall… OK.
AfterLife is no huge departure so it’s not going to earn them a legion of new fans. If you didn’t like their older stuff, there’s no reason you’ll like this. Conversely, I can’t see any existing fans being disappointed. There are are certainly a couple of songs I could pick out right now that I’m hoping they add to the live set. Part of me wishes they’d try something new, but I get that a band may not want to upset the profitable apple cart.
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AfterLife is out now
Header image by Travis Shinn
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