Five Finger Death PunchAfterLife

After 15+ years, multi platinum-selling Las Vegas rockers Five Finger Death Punch aren’t pulling any punches on their most ambitious outing yet; enter the group’s ninth studio album AfterLife.

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A band undeniably capable of enamoring and polarising with their firmly established mix of grooves, heavy metal, anthemic rock, and catchy thrash, Five Finger Death Punch have never been ones to waver too far from their established wiles since first emerging in 2007 via the debut album The Way of the Fist.

Put simply, 5FDP are a band who can still fill arenas like nobody’s business and, particularly in 2022, are entirely in command of their unique sonic identity. And it’s on the band’s brand new album AfterLife that their trademark fist-pumping metal gets an unexpected journey into more experimental waters; from ballads to more standard Death Punch fare, AfterLife may not be reinventing the entire wheel, but it certainly packs a fresh punch.  Opening with menacing frivolity, Welcome to the Circus brings some quirk to the classic 5FDP heavy grooves and extreme polish, before the standard chuggs, arena-ready smooths and growls from vocalist Ivan Moody, and churning soundscapes emerge courtesy of tracks like IOU, Pick Up Behind You, Gold Gutter and title track AfterLife. But beyond the expected comes electronic influences and pop infusions (Thanks For Asking and Times Like These respectively), industrial-meets-rap-in-a-nightclub spice (Judgement Night), and the closest thing you’ll get to Five Finger Death Punch ballads on the emotive All I Know and the orchestral-laden closing track The End. 

AfterLife will gift you moments of insight into the ongoing longevity and success this band still commands after emerging in an era when emo, pop punk, and alternative rock reigned supreme.

Steadily lurching from style to style throughout its 12 tracks, AfterLife isn’t shy erratically flexing its genre diversity. With moments like the swooning end to Times Like These immediately jolted into high-octane fury via the caustic Roll Dem Bones, it’s entirely on brand for the Las Vegas bunch to never leave you sitting still in one specific style for too long; and overall the swift fluctuations make for more excitement if you’re willing to shed expectations for normie conceptual album listening. And a glittering addition for hesitant fans unsure if new lead guitarist Andy James was up to the task to fill the shoes of longtime 5FDP axe-man Jason Hook, look no further than the album’s very own title track as well as Pick Up Behind You, with the latter featuring a sweltering solo from the extremely adept James.

At this point in the story, you’re either a fan of Five Finger Death Punch or you’re not. But regardless of your fan status, AfterLife will gift you moments of insight into the ongoing longevity and success this band still commands after emerging in an era when emo, pop punk, and alternative rock reigned supreme. 15 years since their debut album release, AfterLife mainly balances its balls-to-the-wall heavy moments with measured experimentation and sharp technicality across the board. Non-fans may not be entirely converted into the fray on album #9, but if you’re in the market for some swaggering rock, insatiable grooves, and some juicy vamps for good measure – Five Finger Death Punch dish up just enough alterations and assured badassery here to lure you into the great beyond. 

STANDOUT TRACKS: AfterLife, Judgement Day, IOU
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