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Street Dogs - State of Grace

Metal/thrash act Five Finger Death Punch comes out of sunny California and gives us their wishy-washy debut, The Way of the Fist.

The instrumentation on the album is very solid. It's nothing amazing or mind-blowing, and it's certainly not anything you haven't heard before, but what they do, they do well. The guitar playing is very good, with lots of hooks throughout most of the songs and some very tasteful leads and solos. Lead single "The Bleeding" and "A Place to Die" both have very good intros and solos and are definitely standouts on the album. The drumming is also another high point on the album; like everything else, it's nothing amazing, but it's very solid. Some good fills and well-done double-bass add to the songs well, showcased by "Ashes."

However, the vocals...the vocals... While I shouldn't say they're bad, the vocals on this album are definitely lackluster. They follow almost the same exact pattern through most of the songs (scream/shouted verse, sung choruses) and in that sense make the album a bit repetitive. Ivan Moody's sceam/shout only stays at one pitch most of the time, while occasionally reaching for a high-pitched scream here and there. His singing on the other hand is actually pretty decent, but like I said, nothing to write home about. The bass on this album, as always on a metal record, is non-existent, and when it does actually pop up it's just following the guitars with nothing ever standing out.

Lyrically, this is where they drop the ball. There's a big "tough guy" vibe going on in the lyrics, but they try so hard to be tough that it comes off as cheesy and sometimes laughable:

  • "I'm a walking one-man genocide, with a black belt in corrupt."
  • "Step to me, step to me motherfucker, zip your lip, you've run out of time."
Okay guys, grow up, give it a rest, we get it, you're "tough," but when the lyrics aren't overly macho, they're painfully generic and clichéd:
  • "Everything I touch turns to ashes."
  • "Where did I go wrong? Who was I supposed to be?"
Are you fucking kidding me? This singer is at least in his early-mid-30s, and he's still wondering what he's suppossed to be? Wow.

In conclusion, FFDP aren't the "next big thing" in metal, even though they claim to be allied with "true metal," but that doesn't mean they don't have talent. They actually have a lot of talent, but they don't use it in the right way, and when hearing the lyrics, they come off as immature and it's hard to take them seriously. That doesn't mean this band is a total waste -- people should definitely give them a listen, but what you will be hearing is slightly above average thrash metal/metalcore with a lead singer who sounds like he's 14. Shit, no wonder they were on the Family Values Tour...






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    Posted by PUNKMUSICSUCKSASS on 2008-04-17 15:42:59

    All you little emo satanic fucks go cut your wrists and die you little bitches metal fucking rocks

    Posted by RISEABOVETHIS on 2008-04-13 20:41:25

    Ok why don u gys shut the fuck up. Leave 5fdp alone! 'the bleeding' is a good song. And 2 b honest there are other fucking ''metal'' bands out there that suck waaaayyy more than 5fdp does. 5fdp is an awsome band. If ya'll wanna talk bad a/b someone, talk shit on fuckin green day or fuckin fallout boy, who 4 some goddamn reason people like them. But whoever wrote this godamn review, needs 2 listen 2 other music who they can fuckin relate 2. Oh.. And d lead singer does not sound like a 14 yr old. He has a perfectly good voice. Go talk down on somebody else stupid ass. Booooooooooo!!!

    Posted by blackmetal666 on 2007-10-18 16:03:02

    Ha ha it's great that these guys actually think they're metal.....THRASH at that. Fucking clowns.

    Posted by J4M35 on 2007-10-13 16:00:53
    My Score:

    Score is for my friend Anday, who would really like this stuff based off the lyrics.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2007-10-13 05:59:17

    Jeez, a lot of uneducated morons generalize this site. Laaaaates losers. If you hate this site and the comments so much, why did you create an account and bother posting dumbass comments that are written solely as an instigation for negative responses. Yeah, I went there. Get off your highhorse and off this site. Shit that shit makes me mad.

    Posted by Slater on 2007-10-12 16:39:54

    Those are good ones, but I'm partial to Black Fag myself.

    Posted by brown on 2007-10-12 16:36:34

    no, he said gayrilla biscuits.

    I think I'll toss on some xlimp wristx while i'm at it.

    Posted by clownwithstress on 2007-10-12 15:43:52

    gorilla biscuits,sounds good. start today such a great album , better than this..great impersonation too!!!

    Posted by JonDaley on 2007-10-12 14:57:56

    shit cd, but why on PUNKNEWS, im predicting alot of worthless straight fucks are going to go down this band because they are insecure and childish. let the bland comments begin while I listen to some Gayrilla Biscuits.

    Posted by Ravnos on 2007-10-12 14:54:32

    Comment directly below me boggles mind.

    You should go read some of his other comments. It's like mining for comedy gold.

    Posted by xkingbuzzox on 2007-10-12 14:45:55

    When I saw this review I was hoping it wouldn't be a positive one and thankfully it wasn't. Pieces of shit like this shouldn't even be released.

    Posted by inagreendase on 2007-10-12 14:32:32

    Comment directly below me boggles mind.

    Posted by clownwithstress on 2007-10-12 14:04:56
    My Score:

    great cd, but why on PUNKNEWS, im predicting alot of worthless homos are going to down this band because its not fall out boy or thrice. let the evil little comments begin.

    Posted by colton on 2007-10-12 13:41:50

    "No mercy, you faggots, it's the way of the fist."

    Someone explain to me why this was even reviewed.

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