3 years went by since their last album, and in that time, they had a legal battle with their former record label, onstage meltdowns, rehab, just about every member of the band getting clean from alcohol and drugs, and a greatest hits compilation.

Somehow Five Finger Death Punch are already 7 albums into their 11 year album career. Ever since 2009, they’ve pretty much been the mainstream darlings of Hard Rock and Metal. I’m not going to judge on that part. I understand why they’re in the position they’re in.

I don’t hate this band. I never have. Musically especially, I’ve always enjoyed them. They’ve got the chops, they’ve got groove, they can play.

It’s their vocalist, Ivan Moody, that’s been my biggest issue. He can scream, he can sing, he’s got versatility. That goes back to his Motograter days as well. His lyrics though, 90% of the time, are atrocious and super cheeseball. The other part is when he’s screaming angrily, it just sounds super forced, like he’s purposely being a tough guy, but instead sounds like a 17 year old who’s mad and didn’t get his way. For an example, we’ll compare Corey Taylor on Slipknot’s “Iowa” album. He legitimately sounds fucking furious. He sounds like he’s experiencing everything he’s saying, and through metaphors, he probably did. It sounds convincing. You can feel the anger, feel the pain, feel the darkness. With Ivan Moody in Five Finger, it’s never been convincing. It’s just I’m yelling to do it because it sounds good, but here’s these “fuck the haters” lyrics to go with it. He may very well feel everything he says. I’m just telling you what I’ve heard all this time.

“And Justice For None” is probably their most diverse album to date. Songs like “Blue on Black”, “I Refuse”, “When the Seasons Change” are radio ready power ballads. Then there’s “Sham Pain”, “Stuck in my Ways”, “Bloody”, “Will the Sun Ever Rise”, “Bad Seed”, and “Save Your Breath” for the more alt rock/Metal radio ready stuff. “Trouble”, “Fake”, and “Rock Bottom” are examples of what could and should be really awesome songs, but just comes off really lame because of fuck fuck motherfuck I’m hard and fuck you so suck it… which I feel like we’ve heard before, several times. I do like their cover of Offspring’s “Gone Away”. They reinvented it and made it their own. I like it more than “Bad Company”, anyway.

It’s another slab of pre-packaged ready for digest Rock and Metal. It has its purpose, it’s a door opener, and I’ll never let that be a bad thing. I just want to hear these guys make an album that isn’t meant to appease anybody, kinda like the 1st album. I feel that’s when they were at their most honest and “themselves”. There are some tasty riffs and moments here and there, as with all of their albums. That’s what disappoints me the most. It is what it is. I’m not here to fret when there’s Bad Wolves and Light the Torch making accessible Metal that also happens to be really, really good.

Point is, if you’re a Five Finger fan, this album is totally up your alley. If you’re not, this album will continue to be the reason why you hate them. If you’re in the middle like I am, there’s a few tracks there to satisfy, and plenty of headshaking too.

Rating? 3/5

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