Singles Roundup: Graveyard, Tremonti, & Five Finger Death Punch

 One day, three new singles from huge names. That means we need to talk about them, even if it wasn't scheduled.

Graveyard - Please Don't

I love Graveyard, but there's something lingering in the back of my mind.

I find the first three albums to be amazing. Sure, the debut was a bit rough around the edges, but it was still really good. Then they got better and made a great record in "Hisingen Blues", totally coming into their own. "Lights Out" perfected their sound, and is legitimately one of my favorite records of all time.

Then their last record felt weird. Half of it was as good as everything else, but there were a couple of tracks that branched off in directions I didn't like. And he decision to let the other members sing didn't help, since neither of them were as good as Joakim. It was the first time they were disappointing to me.

This song sounds like it's trying to go back to those classic records, but it can't quite get there. It's pretty good, but neither the riff nor the melody has that so-simple-it's-genius knack. Maybe the fuzzy tone is hiding it. Graveyard's music usually grows, so I'm hoping this is just a first listen issue.

I'm still hoping the album, and the lineup change, can get them back to where they belong.

Tremonti - A Dying Machine

As these albums keep coming, they grow less and less necessary. This project was supposed to be the outlet for Tremonti's heavier, more thrash metal side to come out, but now that Alter Bridge has been embracing heaviness, there's been a complete shift towards being more of a radio band. That puts them right in the wheelhouse of... Alter Bridge. The leadoff single for the new album is as commercial as Tremonti's solo band has yet gotten, and I'm struggling to see why he needs the separate project, other than as an excuse to put out more records without diluting Alter Bridge's name.

This song is rather bland, and lacking the bite the first Tremonti record had. He has been part of so many records now that everything blends together, and is only differentiated by the voice singing. And since I find Mark's voice to be the least distinctive he's worked with, that leads this track to be a fine, but unexciting, first taste of the concept album.

Five Finger Death Punch - Fake

No band does a better job of making us all feel ashamed of ourselves than Five Finger Death Punch. Listening to this new song is like getting repeatedly punched in the face. It hurts, and you feel like your brain has been damaged once it's over. The ultra-generic groove riffs are inoffensive, but Ivan Moody remains one of the worst frontmen in rock/metal history. He growls his way through lyrics that punctuate each line of the chorus by calling someone (us?) a "motherfucker". Yes, after decades on this earth, and the trials and tribulations that force you to grow up, that's the best he can do. It's pathetic.

The only thing more embarrassing than Five Finger Death Punch is the fact they're one of the most popular bands in the mainstream. It's a sign of the apocalypse, I would bet.