Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Three new albums: two hits, one miss (reviewing Five Finger Death Punch, Bring Me The Horizon, and Iron Maiden)

Chris Kael, bass, Five Finger Death Punch, Aftershock 2013
Chris Kael, Five Finger Death Punch
The three biggest new albums to reach my ears during the past week or so have been:

- Got Your Six, Five Finger Death Punch
- That's the Spirit, Bring Me The Horizon
- The Book of Souls, Iron Maiden

Got Your Six: everything you expect from a FFDP album: angry-yet-melodic, intense, soaring, heavy, strong, violent, hurting... and overlaid with Ivan Moody's wonderful vocals. While on the first listening of The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell vol. 2's "Cold" immediately took its place on my best-ever-songs list, Got Your Six is taking a few more listenings to pick out one song above the rest... possibly "Digging My Own Grave" will be a personal favourite... this is a uniformly-good album. "They are all perfect" (name that movie). There is definitely a more even intensity and form to Got Your Six than the previous albums--can't say it's a "happy" album, but it is upbeat. Positively-intense. In a FFDP way.

We're off to Reno tomorrow night to see FFDP playing these songs live, together with Papa Roach, In This Moment, and From Ashes To New. Awesome. Want to join us? I think there might be a ticket left. Maybe. Can't wait to see them again.

That's The Spirit: Bring Me The Horizon taking the journey even further into melodic metal than with Sempiternal, Bring Me The Horizon have produced another album that can be listened to over, and over, and over again. I love hearing the forward movement in this band's music: they are progressing and growing and taking the right path for them. They are not standing still.  As mentioned in an earlier review, screamo just takes you so far... loving hearing Oli singing as well as screaming.

Their set at Aftershock next month is top-of-my-list to see. Don't miss it--and don't forget to check out "Live at Wembley", as well as That's The Spirit.

Crossover review? See this one for Sempiternal, and see how FFDP and BMTH are connected... at least in this writer's mind! (Thanks again, Zoltan!)

The Book of Souls: this one is my #fail. Not a fail of the album by any means, and not in any way a criticism of Iron Maiden: it's definitely a major work which will be very much appreciated by their fans. It's a fail on my part: I've never seen (or heard) what everyone else raves about, and I will leave this review to those who are saying how amazing and genius this album is. I think it comes down to the vocals: I like the intros to each of the songs, but once they really get started, I want to hear the next and see if it's any more compelling (and sung in tune). I know I would enjoy seeing Iron Maiden live, but it's like Yes... I enjoy the album artwork more than I enjoy the contents, and every now and then I have to listen to them, to remind myself why I don't.

Some you win, some you don't.

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