The new Five Finger Death Punch album, released this weekend, has very typical sounds of the group, they do not differ much from their style, very strong, rough, and sometimes sentimental.

The last album was released during the first outbreak of the pandemic: “F8”, so it’s only been two years.

But I have to say that I liked this new album more, the single songs and a greater gloom, maybe even maturity.

The first track “Welcome to The Circus”, for example, is understood to be very similar to other songs of the band, so I was not particularly impressed, to be honest.

After this introductory track, therefore, very similar to many others, we have “AfterLife”, the titletrack, which always sincerely reminded me of other songs of the group, but I liked it, I certainly can’t say that the songs are bad, they have sonority, speaking of metal, very catchy, nice choruses and even the lyrics I didn’t mind.

The third track has something different, if you want: “Times Like These”, even if it is one of those lighter songs typical of the band, which we have also heard on other occasions.

With the difference that I hear a slightly different voice from Ivan, with an improved timbre, I also didn’t mind the guitar solo.

Another song that in my opinion is a bit different from the others is “Judgment Day”, a piece with some effect and musical diversity, both slow and fast, both soft and strong, I think I can elect it as my favorite song of the new album, in fact I think it’s the best done one.

I must say that anyway I heard this music while I was doing physical activity, so it initially made a better impression on me since for me, it was suitable to give me the right adrenaline.

I also liked the next track: “IOU” a lot, and I think this too is a bit different from the others, here I noticed an improvement in how the band plays and how Ivan sings.

Also nice “Thanks for Asking”, which I also liked a lot for the text. In this work I was struck more by the lyrics than by the music, however even this track follows the sensations of the previous ones.

“I know that God is laughing

She gave us our wings but she nevеr taught us to fly

They say the end is coming

And if that’s true well I don’t think I mind “

I mean that I feel that there is greater maturity, for the themes touched on in the album, which were also present in “F8” anyway, but for me here it is, let’s say, “done better”.

It seems that the band wants to orient itself to a slightly more adult audience, or at least it tries.

After all, it seems plausible to me, given that now many members of the band are of a certain age. Sometimes, in fact, I think there are bands that juggle between their identity and what they want to convey.

In short, between them and the fans.

Why am I saying this? Because even though I liked this album, I still feel some songs as repetitive, always in the same style and wavelength as the previous albums, so I believe that we are not talking about something revolutionary.

I seem to listen to one of those American bands, which have too many similar songs to each other, which after a while can lead to boredom, as much as you like them.

This album offered little innovation, and it is for me the most relevant flaw, as much as I liked it, I must say that precisely, I cannot call “AfterLife” a masterpiece, or one of the best I’ve ever heard.

I wonder if the band hasn’t become trivialized, staying a bit in a comfort zone, where it seems that they are more willing to please the fans than to give a stronger imprint of their identity and style, or maybe it is me who I see so, maybe I’m wrong, because I compare them with other bands who, on the other hand, know how to give that “something more”.

With the exception of those traces mentioned above, but they weren’t enough to make me change my mind.

Let me know yours, and see you next time.