5FDP, Megadeth, Bad Wolves.
February 14, 2020 was an evening of American heavy metal. And a brisk one at that. The packed Tipsport Arena in Holešovice had a lot to do from the first seconds to keep the pace with three different bands. Bad Wolves were the first to present themselves from 18.50. The forty-minute set got the crowd moving, which, on the instructions of singer Tommy Vext, made room for a small dance floor in front of the stage, where several dozen groove metal fans were frolicking. The band used the allotted time perfectly. Among other things, they played their two biggest hits, a cover of Zombie (Cranberries) with slightly uncertain vocals and Killing Me Slowly. She had the entire hall light up their cell phones, sit on the floor and jump up on cue. A pumped-up three-quarters of an hour ended with a request for "big noise" (big noise) for the evening's two headliners.
In the following intermission, engineers set the stage for global thrash metal megastar, California's Megadeth. The band was founded in 1983 by Dave Mustaine. Numerous line-up changes have crystallized into the current one. Dave Ellefson on five-string bass, Kiko Loureiro on guitar and the youngest member, drummer Dirk Verbeuren. On the fifteen albums released so far, Megadeth have documented the evolution of one of the offshoots of heavy metal over the past thirty years. Compared to Bad Wolves, Megadeth seemed a bit academic and tired. Smoke and fire complemented a decent sound that sometimes lacked intelligible vocals. It was a great ride in every way. There was Symphony of Destruction (Countdown to Extinction, 1992), Angry Again (Last Action Hero, 1993 - film, Hidden Treasures, 1995 - EP) and Dread and the Fugitive of your Mind (The World Needs a Hero, 2001). Mustaine informed the audience of his battle with a malignant disease, incidentally justifying some understated notes sung with visible effort.
Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) begin their show ready behind a drawn curtain featuring a silhouette of singer Ivan Moody. Then the curtain flies up and all hell breaks loose in Holešovice. The stage is now full size, stretched out and deep. The backdrop is a massive Pearl drum kit with decorations in the shape of string boxers. The same motif, along with a skull, is on the microphone stand. Charlie Engen is the drummer of 5FDP after Jeremy Spencer left the band for health reasons. Sprawling bassist Chris Kael, with his long beard braided into dreadlocks, is completely unmissable and of course Ivan Moody, in white Route 66 pants and red blouse, dominates the scene. Lightning runs across the guitar fretboards are provided by James Hook and the only permanent member of the ensemble, 5FDP founder Zoltan Bathory. The opening Lift Me Up (The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1, 2013) promises a high tempo and is a more than suitable starter track. The sound is excellent, the vocals can be understood and the sound engineer deserves praise for almost the entire concert. Trouble (A Decade of Destruction, 2017) is next, followed in quick succession by two tracks from the sixth album in the sequence, Got your Six (2015), namely Wash it all Away and Jeckyll and Hyde. Ivan Moody keeps the audience on their toes, with laser effects and fire added to the mix. Kotel sings most of the choruses and gets a plethora of shakes and sweats as a reward. 5FDP can slow it down, though. Shortly after Got your Six, the title track on the album most represented at the show, the engineers bring out a sofa and a floor lamp. In an "intimate setting", to the sound of a spaniel, Moody sings The Tragic Truth (American Capitalist, 2011), a song about the demons he has inside, a kind of confession of inner turmoil, uncertainty and doubt. A cover of Kenny Wayne Shepperd's Blue on Black is sure to be one of the expected highlights of the evening. Death Punch give the track a character of its own, but the original has its own distinctive charm and urgency. The timing is relentless, so not long after the drum solo and Burn MF (The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, 2013) with its rhythmic fire effects, the show ends so that there can be an encore and everything can be done by eleven o'clock. In it, the most interesting new song is Inside Out, which clearly has strong hit-making ambitions. The very end is a bit of an embarrassment. Already to the sound of the reproduced music, the musicians wander around the stage, chatting to each other and the fans and handing out hundreds more picks. However, it doesn't spoil the overall impression. 5FDP have won Prague over and impressed it with their energy and commitment at the same time.