F8 - Five Finger Death Punch

The new 5FDP record comes with a major step forward from the band. The 2020 effort F8 gives listeners nearly an hour of new material to fill their earholes. Maybe the band lost something following the departure of longtime drummer Jeremy Spencer, but they found something as well with singer Ivan Moody becoming sober. In this sense, 5FDP's F8 is a lot like Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood. The Crue's fourth studio album came with the band trying to become sober and stay off the drugs and booze, and with their newfound sobriety, they generated several hits and launched a massively successful tour to support. So will F8 generate the same number of hits and leave as long a legacy as Feelgood? That remains to be seen. It is my opinion, however, as early as it may be, that F8 is the metal record of the year. Each track is as hard-hitting as the next. The guitar riffs sound like classic Death Punch, especially on harder tracks like "Inside Out," "Full Circle," "Bottom of the Top," and pretty much 90% of this whole record, which is great news if you're a fan of the band like I am. For non fans, you're probably not even reading this because you wouldn't have bought the record anyway.

Ivan Moody is the real shining star on this record. His vocal performance is matured in a truly beautiful way. The album features no covers and no guest vocalists, leaving just Ivan's lyrics, and Mr. Moody himself. Going into it, part of me was disappointed to see that there were no guest vocalists this time around. Two of my favorite tracks from previous Death Punch records are "Lift Me Up" featuring the legendary Metal God Rob Halford of Judas Priest fame. When a current band gets the guy who nearly invented heavy metal to feature on a track, you know it's going to be good. In case you're doubtful, check out "Black Wedding" from In This Moment. You'll see what I mean. Speaking of In This Moment, the other track I was referring to is "Anywhere But Here" featuring Mother Maria Brink herself. She and Ivan form a truly magical duet on this one that gives me chills every time i hear it. But enough about their past, let's go back to the present. Ivan proves once again on F8 that he can growl and belt it out with the other big-name vocalists in metal, but he can also slow it down and deliver heart-melting vocals on somber tracks like "Little Bit Off" and "Darkness Settles In." Moody is one of my favorite male vocalists because of his range and delivery. Some of my favorite Death Punch songs are ballads, and I normally hate ballads.

I can go on and on about how much I enjoy this new record, but I think you get the point by now. The last thing I will say, however, is something Ivan has alluded to in his lyrics time and time again. To all the 5FDP haters out there... fuck you.

Five Finger Death Punch - F8

2 - 28 - 2020

1. F8

2. Inside Out

3. Full Circle

4. Living The Dream

5. Little Bit Off

6. Bottom Of The Top

7. To Be Alone

8. Mother May I (Tic Toc)

9. Darkness Settles In

10. This Is War

11. Leave It All Behind

12. Scar Tissue

13. Brighter Side Of Grey

14. Making Monsters

15. Death Punch Therapy

16. Inside Out (Radio Edit)

Favorite Track: "Death Punch Therapy"
Least Favorite Track: "Mother May I (Tic Toc)"
Rating: 9.4