Charlie Engen takes the drum throne this time around, and is a capable replacement, but maybe lacking a bit in personality on this particular record. (I recently read his autobiography, and it’s a bit of a depressing tale of addiction, infidelity and recurrent erectile dysfunction that gives a good insight into the inter-band relationships, but definitely signposted that he wasn’t going to stay in the band forever!). This is their first album without their key drummer Jeremy Spencer, who was such a big part of their sound, its hard to imagine the band without him. If you prefer the band doing ballads and poppier moments, it’s the acoustic with electro-drums “A Little Bit Off” that you need to check out. For those who like the band at their faster and heavier, “This Is War” & “Scar Tissue” are the standout moments. That album had the air of disharmony about it, whereas F8 sounds like a band really gelling and coming together. The quality of song-writing here is a lot stronger than their …And Justice For None record, and the performance is a little less robotic. You can hear singer Ivan Moody venting all that aforementioned baggage on the excellent tune “Bottom Of The Top” which is one of the highlights musically and lyrically. Its nice to say however that their latest album, their eighth studio album, 2020’s F8 (Fate), sees the band clear-headed, sober and once again delivering the goods. That being said two out of their last three albums have been weaker than their usual standard, and a lot of high profile intoxication, protracted label legal issues, loss of a key member and an on-stage meltdown plastered all over the media have somewhat tainted the band’s rising-star vibe. Five Flavour Fruit Punch, Five Finger Butt Plug, Nickleback For Juggalos call them what you want, but I am an absolute mark for Las Vegas’ biggest Metal band, Five Finger Death Punch, and their Melodic chorus/Pantera-verses/Blunt-ignorance formula.
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