CD Review
This review was originally written by Jose Bernardo for www.theweeklyriff.com between 2008 and 2010.
These were Jose’s first impressions of the songs and were not written after multiple spins.
Artist : Five Finger Death Punch
Album : War Is The Answer (2009 Prospect Park)
Tracks : 13
Artist website : http://www.fivefingerdeathpunch.com
OVERVIEW
War Is The Answer is the second studio album from American metal band, Five Finger Death Punch. This my first time to listen to anything from this band.
Right off the bat, I felt the vocals were weak. I am not a fan of “cookie monster” vocals and even the sung parts are not exactly stellar.
The drum performances are very strong as are the guitars. Although I found it hard to hear the guitars at times. I could barely hear the bass even if the mix is extremely bass heavy. The kick drums are the most prominent thing in the mix, followed by the low toms and the vocals.
Overall, the energy on this album is very good. I bet Five Finger Death Punch is a lot better in a live setting than on this album. The material is strong and felt that there are some very good ideas musically. Sonically, I didn’t like this album.
HIGHLIGHTS :
Hard To See, No One Gets Left Behind, Crossing Over, Burn It Down, Far From Home (guitar solo), Canto 34
PLAY BY PLAY
Track 1 – Dying Breed
Pretty brutal. Very bass heavy. The vocals are really up front in the mix and the guitars are too far back in the mix. The drums are almost totally over powering in the mix.
Track 2 – Hard To See
Guitars are better heard in the mix here. More melodic, which is nice.
Track 3 – Bulletproof
Really heavy and energetic! Cool track. Weak chorus though.
Track 4 – No One Gets Left Behind
Again, really good energy. Some very good riffing here.
Track 5 – Crossing Over
Really cool, mellow song! Even if this one’s mellow, the energy is still good. I felt like this was the only strong vocal performance on the album. Still a bit bass heavy in the mix, but better balanced.
Track 6 – Burn It Down
Probably the strongest track on the album. This is pretty much a straight ahead modern metal track.
Track 7 – Far From Home
This one’s the ballad. Really great solo! I wasn’t really digging this track until the solo kicked in.
Track 8 – Falling In Hate
Great energy. More balanced mix – or maybe I’ve just gotten used to the sound of the album at this point.
Track 9 – My Own Hell
It almost seemed like track 8 segues into this track. Wasn’t sure. This track kind of reminds me of Fear Factory in style.
Track 10 – Walk Away
Perhaps the weakest track on the album. It’s mellow and lacks the energy and focus that every other track thus far has had. However, this track has another pretty guitar solo in it.
Track 11 – Canto 34
Cool track. It’s an instrumental track! Possibly my favorite track on the album due the lack of vocals.
Track 12 – Bad Company
Interesting track. It has a great energy to it and is totally different from all the other tracks on the album. It’s got a lot of old school hard rock mentality to it with a very poppy chorus. Very good solo again.
Track 13 – War Is The Answer
Very heavy and energetic.