SSE Wembley Arena 28th November 2015
Since their formation in 2005, heavy metal heroes Five Finger Death Punch have followed the well trodden path to become stratospheric metal legends. The Las Vegas quintet have gained popularity over the years by playing festivals and supporting headline artists in the UK and playing a sell out show at Wembley Arena is their biggest one yet. They've already had considerable success in their homeland with several number one albums but in the UK it is only in the last few years that the Brits have really started to take notice of this incredible band. Their latest album Got Your Six is such a strong piece of work that you really cannot get enough of those aggressive riffs and solid baritone vocals, so it's a little surprising that only two songs from such a terrific album featured in their show. None the less, the set focusses on some of the best and most popular tracks across their six albums.
After pulling their Milan gig amid security rumours, Papa Roach also jumped ship leaving Skindred to fill their shoes. Having made a point of the unification of music and defiance in times of adversity at their recent London show, Skindred were the perfect band to support FFDP. Whilst there is still an air of solidarity surrounding the concert following events in Paris, the phrase keep calm and rock on, most definitely applies tonight.
As Howard Beale's powerful speech from Network rings around the Arena, the audience do indeed get 'as mad as hell' as stickman Jeremy Spencer counts in a four beat leading into Lift Me Up. Hard To See and Never Enough soon follow as the band rage and battle their way through a powerhouse set. Got Your Six and the fierce Jekyll and Hyde from the latest album may be new editions to the set, but they prove to be just as popular as tried and tested gig tracks such as Burn MF which has the 'knuckleheads' flaying around in the way only the best metal tracks can.
Enigmatic and crazy front man Ivan Moody may come across as an angsty rocker but he also proves has softer side by taking the time to sign flags of fans in the front row, he's also great at doing ballads too. A terrific cover version of Bad Company from the War Is The Answer album is dedicated to the fans and an acoustic version of The Wrong Side Of Heaven performed by Ivan and Zoltan Bathory is a emotional and painfully relevant reminder of how current FFDP's songs are both politically and culturally. After an acoustic interlude the band pick things up with Coming Down and Burn It Down finishes a forceful show. Of course amid screams of 'death punch' the band are back for more playing three songs that encapsulate the band's music: Under and Over It, Far From Home and The Bleeding.
Attending a FFDP concert is one of the few places in rock outside an Iron Maiden show where you get such an electrifying atmosphere from the crowd and a spectacle of a show from the band. Five Finger Death Punch have firmly established their status of one of metals biggest bands and as long they keep delivering shows as fearless and fun as this one their enduring future in metal should be secured.
