Review: Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Vol. 2

Artist: Five Finger Death Punch
Album: The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2
Rating: 10/10

Las Vegas’ Five Finger Death Punch is back at it again! Earlier this year, the group released the first disc of their double album, “The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell” and it’s proved to be some of their best material to date! Just a few months later, they are getting ready to release Volume 2 to close out the epic tale which is rooted in why the “sin” is put into “Sin City”. While Volume 1 was more melodic and seemed to take a little bit of their previous album, “American Capitalist” with it, Volume 2 is faster, more aggressive and compliments the first chapter perfectly! The lead single from the album, “Battle Born” is an amazing ballad about life on the road and always remembering where you come from. The opening track, “Here to Die” was teased while the band was on this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour and left fans salivating for that heavier side of the Death Punch clan! The wait was well worth it as it is the perfect intro track to this album!

While you still have the softer, more melodic tracks like the aforementioned “Battle Born” and the bone-chilling piano-driven “Cold”, the highlights in the album lie in the heavier aspects of the album. Tracks like “Here to Die”, “Wrecking Ball”, “Weight Beneath My Sin”, “Cradle to the Grave” and “Matter of Time” will have fans headbanging to the max and mosh pits going insane! When this band teased that this was their best material yet, they weren’t lying! When making a double album, a concept album or anything of the nature, the band always faces the challenge of making that second, third or fourth disc just as incredible as the first. They also face the challenge of making the albums flow well, compliment one another and progressing the story perfectly. In every aspect of this, Five Finger Death Punch has succeeded. In many ways, I think Volume 2 is the better of the two in that it incorporates everything that we’ve heard from FFDP before, coupled with some unexpected surprises. Just as with Volume 1, Volume 2 ends with a cover song. This time it’s “House of the Rising Sun”, which is a traditional folk song made famous by The Animals in 1964. The band adds their own flavor and changes the lyrics to fit the theme of the album, making it a perfect Death Punch cover! Another thing that is interesting about this album is that it includes the first true interlude in “The Agony of Regret” which is an acoustic track that will send shivers down your spine before blending perfectly into the beginning of “Cold”.

If you loved Volume 1, I recommend picking up Volume 2 for certain. However, as with most double albums and concept albums, I don’t recommend picking up one without the other. For that reason, I will link the buy links for both albums below, along with my review of Volume 1 for you guys to check out. The bottom line is: FFDP have proven that they deserve to be on the thrones they’ve created for themselves. They aren’t going anywhere and, love them or hate them, you’re going to be hearing about them for a long time. This is just the beginning for this incredible rock/metal group and they’ve got nowhere to go but up! So go get your copies of “The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volumes 1 & 2” and go see why these knuckleheads aren’t going anywhere! It will be out November 19th on Prospekt Park! It sits high atop my top 25 albums of the year which we will be posting about at the end of December!

Five Finger Death Punch on Facebook

NT’s Review of “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 1” (by Bearlysinister, co-author DeathMountainDew)

Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 1” (iTunes)
Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 1” (Amazon)
Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 1” (Best Buy)
Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 1” (Webstore)

Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 2” (iTunes)
Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 2” (Amazon)
Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 2” (Best Buy)
Buy “The Wrong Side of Heaven… Vol. 2” (Webstore)

“Battle Born” Official Music Video