The second full-length from ex-Death From Above masterminds Jesse Keeler and Al-P continues the duo's updating of Daft Punk's robotic soul with an injection of distinctly glam-rock energy. But the difference comes in the form of FIST's high-profile hip-hop/R&B cameos from Ghostface Killah, E-40, John Legend, and Lil' Mo. They've also warped their electronics closer toward the 1970s cult-movie doom-synth of DFA peers like Zombi, fusing it with a retro love for disco cowbells and handclaps. The effect is akin to a Ratatat remix record with dance-floor aspirations; more often than not, the result is exhilarating.

The difference in the basic sound of MSTRKRFT's first album, Looks, and the follow-up, Fist of God, isn't huge. Both are built around buzzing old-school synths, thunderous drums, and jumpy, floor-filling disco and robo-funk. The main change is that the vocodered vocals than dominated Looks have been replaced by a parade of collaborators who include Ghostface Killah, E-40, Freeway, John Legend, N.O.R.E., and Jahmal of Toronto band the Carps. "It Ain't Love," which matches a storming rhythm track with a fiery vocal from Lil' Mo, is the record's highlight. The rest is filled with good-time dance music that won't inspire repeated listens but might sound good over speakers in a nightclub. ~ Tim Sendra

The difference in the basic sound of MSTRKRFT's first album, Looks, and the follow-up, Fist of God, isn't huge. Both are built around buzzing old-school synths, thunderous drums, and jumpy, floor-filling disco and robo-funk. It's the stuff they put on top that makes for the gulf in quality. Looks was based on a gimmick that could either tickle you or wear you down and have you wincing in pain by the end of the record -- namely, the vocoder that the duo of Al-P and Jesse F. Keeler utilized throughout. Regardless of where you fall on the vocoder good/bad spectrum, the use of it gave the record a homemade, semi-wonky feel that is totally missing from Fist of God. This is a painfully serious and real album from the awful cover art to the rampant guest appearances, which are comprised of a mix of A, B, and C-list artists including Ghostface Killah, E-40, Freeway, N.O.R.E., and Jahmal Tonge of Toronto band the Carps. Barely any of the guests add anything more than a name; most sound like they just happened to wander by the studio and were roped in for a chorus or verse. Ghostface especially sounds out of place on the formulaic "Word Up" and N.O.R.E.'s feature, "Bounce," is an embarrassingly vacant party track. The two tracks featuring Jahmal are a little better since the singer sounds somewhat invested in the tracks; unfortunately, his vocals are not very distinctive and the songs are melody free (though "Breakaway" has a cheeky breakdown with a nice C+C Music Factory feel). The only collabo that really bangs is "It Ain't Love," which matches a storming rhythm track with a fiery vocal from Lil' Mo. Maybe it's that the duo has no affinity for rap and contemporary R&B -- the track with John Legend certainly seems to bear this out -- but the pairing here sound forced and mercenary. It would be nice to report that the songs with no vocals were enough to make the album listenable, but they aren't. "1000 Cigarettes" is probably the best marriage of beats and hooks to be found, but it still sounds like a track Daft Punk or Justice would have cut from their albums for being too obvious and desperate. MSTRKRFT positively reek of desperation on Fist of God -- desperate to party, desperate to be cool, desperate to have fun all the time at all costs. All the charm and fun to be found of Looks ends up being pulverized by this bland ambition, and Fist of God ends up being just a loud, inspiration-free, truly disappointing dance album that fails to capture ears or move feet. ~ Tim Sendra

Spin (p.82) - "With crunching synth riffs, fat house rhythms, and thick Justice-style scuzz, tracks like 'It Ain't Love' and '1000 Cigarettes' accommodate both headbangers and hip-shakers."

Alternative Press (p.142) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Shorter song lengths and streamlined songwriting compress the pair's energy into compact club bangers."

Q (Magazine) (p.128) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[A] singularly raucous concoction....Given an added sense of claustrophobia by the contributions of guest rappers Ghostface Killah and E-40."

Blender (Magazine) (p.61) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "FIST delivers a gut punch of awesomely distorted synths and raw, kicks-and-snares percussion."