Being something of an
AOR wimp at heart, I didn't really want to like this.
I could argue that they battered me into submission. But they didn't. They seduced me.
You could argue that 5FDP's intense, blackly dramatic mix of thrash, classic rock, numetal and chart aimed contemporary rock could easily have ended in tears. You could equally argue that in the lexicon of heavy metal and hard rock, the word 'subtlety' is shunned like a soft rock pariah.
But what we have here is an ability to communicate. 5FDP's killer blend of dark, brooding, pulsing heavy rock songs connect. Big time. They don't bludgeon you, they make compelling arguments then slap you in the face and insist that you listen.
Yes, there are times when they stray off their prescribed route and stumble into the land of the homogenized, mainstream rock band, but when they walk the line, tracks like
'No One Gets Left Behind' and
'Dying Breed' grab you by the throat like a drowning man, and don't let go.
There's plenty of pumping, thumping double bass drum rhythms to stir the blood and bang the head, but equally, Zoltan Bathory's and new guitar man, Jason Hook's melodicentric fills and solos add a classic rock edge that keeps your attention.
'Far From Home' is where aggressive, cacophonous noise meets spine tingling orchestration. Soaring strings, a memorable melody and Ivan Moody's warmly insistent baritone tug at our heartstrings, building an unstoppable emotional momentum. A
'November Rain' for the here and now.
Moody does guttural like no one else, using it to convey raw, red blooded emotion. Where other similarly styled bands end up alienating an audience who quickly tire of this narrow construct, 5FDP will win new fans.
'Bulletproof' and
'My Own Hell' are phenomenally powerful exercises in heavy metal schizophrenia, with Moody seemingly acting out his split personality on a wave of churning bass lines and riffs that clank or sizzle in turn.
Elsewhere,
'Hard To See' and
'Walk Away' have hooks to die for, arguably a rarity in this genre, and yet another reason why, for this band, war or no war, the world may not be enough.
Written by
Brian Sunday, November 8, 2009
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