A Decade Of Destruction [Explicit Crimson Red Vinyl]

The Las Vegas-based rockers' first-ever career overview, A Decade of Destruction delivers 14 of the band's most notable blows to the noggin, along with two new studio cuts to whet fans' appetites ahead of the release of their seventh full-length outing. Since 2007, Five Finger Death Punch have been deftly threading the needle between Billboard-baiting modern rock and pugilist groove metal, and A Decade of Destruction does an admirable job at catering to both predilections. It's in that grey area where the band excels, pairing punishing riffs with choruses that demand soccer stadium dimensions. There are no deep cuts here, just the meat, which, to be fair, is what makes a greatest-hits package work -- too many artists have to buffer their two or three hits with significant amounts of bubble wrap. Stocked with all of the fan faves, including "Jekyll and Hyde," "Battle Born," "Wash It All Away," "I Apologize," the Rob Halford-assisted "Lift Me Up," and the powerful military PTSD anthem "Wrong Side of Heaven," the addition of two new cuts would seem superfluous if they weren't so solid. "Trouble," with its Gatling gun riffage and fist-pumping chorus, may be textbook 5FDP, but it's executed with extreme prejudice, and the brooding power ballad "Gone Away" proves that sometimes heartache can be reckoned with through sheer sonic might. It's about as close to all killer/no filler as one could hope for, and while 5FDP may not be everybody's mug of ale, it's easy to appreciate their commitment to crafting a product that's both bitter and tasty. ~ James Christopher Monger