American Capitalist

American Capitalist is the third album on which Five Finger Death Punch, thoroughly committing to low-end riffs and direct hooks, further strengthened their modern metal. Following Matt Snell's departure, it is also the first album with Chris Kael on bass. Built on post-Pantera groove metal, it interweaves arena-ready big choruses with occasionally introspective ballads, greatly widening the band's expressive range. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum. In 2012 it was also named Album of the Year at the RadioContraband Rock Radio Awards. The lead single "Under and Over It" gave the band their first Billboard Hot 100 entry, and from the shadowed melody of "Coming Down" to the emotional swell of "Remember Everything," single-caliber songs line up without restraint. From the aggression of the title track "American Capitalist" and "Menace" to the direct impact of "100 Ways to Hate," a dynamically shifting structure tightens the whole record. Balancing aggression with catchiness, and weight with melody at a high level, it is an accomplished work that became a foothold toward their maturity.