Wilytank How much do I need to emphasize that the tough guy attitude in mainstream metal is really lame? Five Finger Death Punch really isn't ashamed to show it off though. Hell, the frontman looks like a John Cena wannabe. I've been wary on this band before, but I thought I ought to give 'American Capitalist' a listen if only to confirm my distaste.

Well, actually, the music ain't all terrible at first, but it does get old really fast and ends up becoming rather bland and mediocre. What really drags this album down is the vocalist and the lyrics. Moody's clean voice sounds generic of the mallcore style, and his harsh shouting is only made more pathetic by the lyrics he belts out.

"Generation Dead" and "Coming Down" are some of the most painful and generic sounding alternative metal songs. They've got that slow pace with the so-called "anthemic" refrains. Plus, those two songs feature some of the stupidest emotional lyrics that I'd expect from a band like Linkin Park, not from a band full of pseudo tough guys.

But the worst of it comes from "Remember Everything". The emotional lyrics are even worse here and it's dominated by clean vocals and slow paced pseudo heavyness so much that it actually does sound like a Linkin Park/Nickelback song.

It seems to me like they're try appeal to potential male fans with "Over and Under It", "100 Ways to Hate", and "Menace" AND even the artwork with the 'Woah! These guys must be really badass! I want to be just like them! One copy of 'American Capitalist, storeclerk bitch!' mindset; yet they also try appeal to potential female fans with the emotional songs assuming they have some sort of sensitive side. Screw all that.

Five Finger Death Punch, please get out of my ears. Try not to hit your muscleheads on my malleus on the way out.

Kingcrimsonprog Five Finger Death Punch’s third studio album American Capitalist firmly continues the formula which the band had established on their previous two releases, especially their sophomore release War Is The Answer. This 2011 album is comprised primarily three minute tracks full of bouncy riffs, flailing double kicks and a mixture or hard verses with radio choruses.

If you are new to the band, the best way people have found for describing them is as a mixture between elements of Vol. 3 era Slipknot and Pantera, which does a fair job of describing the band’s everyman metal approach and mixture of commercial moments with stomping heavy sections.

It isn’t progressive, it isn’t extreme and it isn’t electronic; American Capitalist is pretty much just pure and simple American Heavy Metal with a lot of melody, perhaps a too little cheap or cheesy for some more discerning listeners, but wholly enjoyable for the rest.

At times the lyrics and artwork can be a bit hard to take and are the area for which non-fans will find most easy to criticize, but often they just add to the appeal of the band that has a certain infectious spirit that you will find yourself enjoying in spite of yourself.

The band also mix in some brilliant slower moments and furious virtuosic guitar solos courtesy of Zoltan Bathory which demonstrate a level of musicianship and songwriting skill far beyond the remit of most overly commercial radio approved metal bands.

This is their first album to feature Chris Kael replacing Matt Snell on bass and the second album to be produced by Kevin Churko and released on the record label Prospect Park.

Singer Ivan Moody’s range has expanded on American Capitalist and his strong harsh and clean vocals have never sounded better. The guitar solos too from the aforementioned Zoltan Bathory are even better and impressive than before and drummer Jeremy Spencer has perhaps improved most of all, adding in lots of brilliant fills and great kick patterns. Overall you just get the impression that the band are just perfecting their formula with this album. In fact the Title Track even goes so far as to name check their previous two album titles lyrically.

Standout tracks include heavier and faster ‘Menace,’ the stomping album closer ‘100 Ways To Hate’ and the groovy ‘Wicked Ways,’ as well as the very catchy lead singles ‘Back For More,’ and ‘Over And Under It.’

If you have always hated the band then American Capitalist will not change your mind, it covers a very similar territory to their previous work, which is great news for fans, but will more than likely not win over people who exclusively listen to Black and Death Metal for example, not that it should realistically be expected to.

Overall; American Capitalist is a very enjoyable record that any fan of the band’s previous work is sure to enjoy. The album is strong, confident and proud; If you have an interest in Five Finger Death Punch I highly recommend you check it out.

Kingcrimsonprog Five Finger Death Punch have absolutely nailed their formula, mixing commercial metal accessibility with the very heaviest metalcore and slapping in a great deal of guitar solos; if Slipknot’s ‘Volume 3…,’ and ‘All Hope is Gone,’ albums were a genre of their own, that is the genre Five Finger Death Punch would belong to, however its all too easy to compare Five Finger Death Punch to Slipknot or whoever based on surface similarities, instead of on Five Finger Death Punches individual musical output.

Some fans have complained that War is the Answer is more commercial than the band’s awesome debut The Way of the Fist, and to a large extent its hard to argue; the sound is more polished, there are more radio friendly moments in the heavy songs and there are more radio songs in general, so if you thought Five Finger Death Punch were too melodic or too cheesy last time around this album isn’t going to change your mind.

The thing is; you can academically disagree with the direction the band have taken, but just try listening to ‘Bullet Proof,’ with its catchy chorus, heavy breakdowns and lead guitar prominence and you’ll find it hard to complain. The mixture of melodic catchy choruses, awesome guitar solos and chugging riffs is pretty much the Modus Operandi for the rest of the album with the very enjoyable ‘No One Gets Left Behind,”Burn It Down,’ and especially ‘War Is The Answer,’ taking the ball and running with it; another very enjoyable moment on the album is the brief but intensely enjoyable ‘Canto 34.’

The ballads are very well written and not nearly as cheesy as some of the bands out there release, ‘Crossing Over,’ sounds more like a Bush Era Anthrax ballad than some poor metal ballad you’d hear on TV and ‘Far From Home,’ is just a good song, its really as simple as that.

The only problem the band really have are that they don’t exactly have the greatest lyrics in the world, but that’s pretty easy to ignore when they come out of Ivan Moody’s great voice and formed inside the catchy vocal patterns, you’ll find yourself singing along either way.

If you like heavy songs full of double kick drum flailing, chugging heavy riffs, numerous guitar solos and the odd radio ballad then you should definitely give Five Finger Death Punch a try.

Kingcrimsonprog Five Finger Death Punch mix very heaviest bits of metalcore with the accessibility of commercial metal; with heavy palm muted riffs, storming double kicks and both ultra harsh and ultra melodic vocals. They also have a great like of and strong talent for guitar solos.

Its difficult to describe the mix of heavy and melodic styles, the best example I can think of is that if Slipknot's 'Volume 3' and 'All Hope is Gone,' albums were a genre of their own, that is the genre Five Finger Death Punch would belong to; however it can be all too easy to compare surface similarities with Trivium or Pantera and that doesn't give this creative and talent band the credit they deserve.

The Five Finger Death Punch formula works although you could easily find it distasteful if you have a problem with Killswitch Engage or Trivum's more melodic commercial moments. The album is chocked full of highlights, the previously mentioned opening three songs, The enjoyable lead single `The Bleeding,' the riff heavy `White Knuckles,' and the brilliant closer `Meet The Monster.'

Opener 'Ashes,' has an absolutely fantastic vocal pattern, some great drum work and a multitude of catchy riffs then a great uplifting chorus and some fantastic lead guitar work. 'The Way of The Fist,' is no different, the brutal metal riffs and speedy double kicks, a great breakdown and then a catchy radio friendly chorus too, the same goes for `Salvation,' that makes for an awesome three songs to open an album with.

The band are all very talented musicians, with Ivan Moody's mix of vocal styles and Zoltan Bathory's lead guitar work standing out in particular. The band have hit upon a very interesting place in metal between the heavier side and the more commercial radio friendly side; they get all the accessibility but retain the credit and attitude of the heavier side a perfect place to be from a business point of view. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Five Finger Death Punch got absolutely massive, they've got all the right ingredients and the talent to back it up.

Overall; If you like heavy songs full of double kick drum flailing, chugging heavy riffs, numerous guitar solos and the odd radio ballad then you should definitely give Five Finger Death Punch a try.