Country: USA
Year: 2015
1. Got Your Six
2. Jekyll and Hyde
3. Wash It All Away
4. Ain't My Last Dance
5. My Nemesis
6. No Sudden Movement
7. Question Everything
8. Hell to Pay
9. Digging My Own Grave
10. Meet My Maker
11. Boots and Blood
13. This is My War
14. I Apologize
15. Jekyll and Hyde
FFDP repeats its wining formula once again. These guys have been perfecting it since their first album, released many years ago, and it seems that now that they have it ready, they'll stick to it as much as they can. "Got Your Six" feels then, more like a third volume of the previous compilation "The Wrong Side of Heaven...", than an independent work. They are so close in composition and sound that it'd be hard or impossible to distinguish one album from another, if you're listening randomly to their songs for the first time. So, there you have the first and biggest let down: the absence of novelty.
Still, there are some bits with which one can differentiate this album from the others. Some of them are, for example, the tweaked sound (yea it seems they have made it even better than before), and... Well, there you have it! Really there is not to much difference, which is a real shame. Even more, some melodies seem to be a rip-off of tunes from previous albums. Just check out the similarities between "Question Everything" and "Diary of a Dead Man", between "Digging My Own Grave" and "The Wrong Side of Heaven", and between the starting tune from "Got Your Six" and the one from "Far From Home" to see of what we're talking about. This is not the first time the band recycles old tunes. Check the riff from "Dying Breed" and the one from "Wicked Ways". The evolution and change that this band has been needing since many albums before hasn't come this time.
We have therefore some mixed feelings about this album. On the one hand this album packs great songs of high technical quality in both audio and instrument play, but on the other hand there is no surprise about it... or about anything really. The good audio quality and song writing is present once again but nothing additional or new is there to make feel this release different or special. This work will surely please every FFDP's fan, but surely it won't attract new ones. Maybe, and just maybe, the band has stayed for too long too fixed in its own style.
As said before, the band has tweaked the audio a bit. Now, it sounds louder, clearer and crispier than before, being today, without any doubt, one of the best sounding works out there because it matches perfectly the band's musical style. It makes you almost believe that every heavy metal group should sound like this. However, some sacrifices had to be made to achieve this spectacular result. Some instruments tend to be shaded by others (for example, the atmospheric guitar through the chorus on "Question everything" and on "My Nemesis", is constantly tending to disappear), but that's better than having a flat audio (like the one of Soilwork's "The Ride Majestic"). Because most of the time just the basic instruments play together, it's not a big issue. The fewer instruments, the easier to distribute them through different audio frequencies.
The album length is of 48:39 in its physical "Deluxe Edition", or 49:21 counting the 15th hidden track, and priced at $19.98 at Amazon. We believe it’s a bit pricy, not only because of the rough amount of content but also because of the production value of this work. Even if in its own right this is a fine compilation, this is not an outstanding (FFDP's) album, and other great releases with more content, like Amorphis’s “Under The Red Cloud” or Soilwork’s “The Ride Majestic”, are priced lower than this. The "Deluxe Version" is however a must have, if your going for the physical copy, that is. Why would someone go for the cheaper version with 3 missing tracks? We really don't know. If your out of money just go for the digital purchase, priced at $12.49, but don't go for the "Standard CD Edition"! Even if there is a hidden 15th track only included in the physical deluxe edition, it doesn't worth it.
We won't be stopping for too long talking about the album and song structure. If you have already listened to any previous FFDP's release, you know what's the scheme... just pop. Therefore, every song has an AABA form, that works fine most of the time. In some pieces, like in "Ain't My Last Dance", "My Nemesis" and "Meet My Maker", there is some discordance between the riff and the chorus. Even more, in those pieces, the chorus sucks and the riff rocks (it's supposed to be never like this, that's why the chorus exists). Also, no track has an impressive bridge, which is a shame and a result of the absence of fresh ideas. About the album structure it must be said though, that even while there is no intro, coda or interlude, the songs seem well ordered giving the album a good pace.
We feel there is a big void in this work: the absence of a truly memorable song. Maybe it's because the style is so worn-out, or because previous songs like "Cold", "The Pride" or "No One Gets Left Behind" and others, were too good and groundbreaking at their time, but the loss of thrill seems undeniable. "No Sudden Movement" and "Jekyll and Hyde" might have been those great songs, but at this point in the band's history, they just don't stand out like other tracks did.
All in all, we have here a good but unimpressive release. It’s not the best one nor the most original or groundbreaking one, but it will be a nice addition to anyone’s metal collection.
Rating: 7/10
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