FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH / MEGADETH / BAD WOLVES |LIVE REVIEW
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Thurs 30 Jan
Big, brash American metal has often found a home away from home in Wales, and tonight Cardiff’s embrace couldn’t be any warmer. Kicking proceedings off are newcomers Bad Wolves [bottom]: lead singer (and occasional FFDP fill-in) Tommy Vext has a muscular physical presence on stage, with vocals to match. The five-piece rockers play their hearts out, with their hit cover of the Cranberries’ Zombie earning the biggest cheers.
Second billing Megadeth [top] have been a band almost as long as Tommy Vext has been alive. Despite beating throat cancer only last year, frontman Dave Mustaine seems to have no trouble blasting through their four-decade catalogue. It probably helps that Megadeth’s appeal has always been technical thrash rather than vocal finesse. Symphony Of Destruction and set closer Holy Wars are lapped up by the circle pits, with more than one shoe flying into the air.
When the curtain finally drops for Five Finger Death Punch [left], the scene is like a satanic temple staffed by Hell’s Angels. A gigantic skull looms 30 feet in the air, accompanied by two baseball bats, crossbones-style. And there’s fire. Lots of fire. Vocalist Ivan Moody makes the most of their list of hits, nailing the lighter melodies and deeper growls with equal aplomb. Tracks like Bad Company and Trouble seem custom-made for boozy arenas, with their simple shoutalong choruses and beefy riffs.
At times the line between theatrics and pure silliness gets very slim, Moody’s transformation into a neon circus master complete with oversized magician’s wand during Jekyll & Hyde teetering on absurd rather than grandiose. Thankfully, the gimmick is quickly discarded for Sham Pain, which corrects the course with chugging riffs and a healthy dose of flame bursts.
Amongst all the pyrotechnics and skulls, it is the mellower moments that are boldest. Wrong Side Of Heaven shines as a stripped-back acoustic version, with only Moody and guitarist Jason Hook on a dimmed stage. New drummer Charlie Engen gets his time to shine on Burn MF, and delivers a sharp solo that sends the crowd wild.
If you missed Five Finger Death Punch this time, no doubt they’ll be headlining Download in the not too distant future. Prepare your fire extinguishers.
words JASPER WILKINS photos ANTHONY JAMES