Single Slam – Fake by Five Finger Death Punch (And Justice for None)

Five Finger Death Punch have released a new single called Fake. It is the opening track of their latest album called And Justice For None which is due to be released on May the 18th via Rise Records.

And Justice For None, a nice twist on the Metallica album title, will be the American metal band’s seventh in total. It is the follow up to 2015’s Got Your Six though there was a compilation album called Decades of Destruction released in 2017 as well. FFDP are known for releasing heavy, groove laden and in your face metal. On the other hand, they can be predictable and boring too. In your face also seems an apt description of their frontman, Ivan Moody. Moody has struggled with alcohol dependance which has led to band arguements, storming off stage, break up rumours and the like.

Still, here they are with new music that appears to be designed to call out someone or a group of someone’s who are fake. Moody, tells them in no uncertain terms that the doesn’t like them, they are chumps, a joke, weak, dumb punks and of course fake. Aggressive lyrics over a chugging riff are quite catchy. The guitars of Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook are dirty and crunching. The bass of Chris Kael is thick and heavy and the drums of Jeremy Spencer have some real meat to them.

All sounds good so far but damn it lacks in creativity. Fake is so exactly like what I expected it to be like, I feel a little psychic actually. Big chunky bro metal, heavy but repetitive riffs. Vocals delivered with power but designed around calling people punks and chumps. The drums are solid and powerful and the bass forms a steady line but all designed to emphasise the repetitive crunch of the riff. At under 4 minutes, it is a catchy song but it doesn’t stand out from the crowd. It doesn’t actually stand out much from their own previous songs either.

Fake is what it is. A song to dedicate to people you don’t like. A song to pump iron too maybe. You would have to be a diehard, brainwashed fan to accept this song as a brilliant, inventive track that is going to change or even enhance their genre. Fake is just another Five Finger Death Punch song. That may be enough for some so I expect those diehard fans to be pretty happy. Me though, I will get bored with this quickly and hope for a bit more ambition on the full album.

Check out Fake for yourself here. It is available on all the usual streaming services now too. You can preorder the new album, And Justice for None from FFDP here. It can also be picked up, along with more from the band at the Amazon links below. Finally, keep up to date with news and release information over at the band’s website, Twitter or Facebook page.

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