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Five Finger Death Punch
A working musician has the opportunity to see a lot of other bands. They are on the same bill or could even be local rivals. As time passes there can be a lot of crossbreeding as musicians try to dial in the right combination while pursuing greater creative freedom, a different outlet or to just be around people they can get along with. Who better to start a new group with than people you know (and hopefully admire)?
Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP) got going in '05 with Zoltan Bathory (great name - he was born in Hungary), a vet of the L.A. based post-Grunge U.P.O., Ivan Moody, formerly of Santa Barbara's Nu Metal band Motograter (yes, there is a motograter - it's like a guitar with industrial cables) and W.A.S.P. guitarist Darrell Roberts. Of the three, W.A.S.P., in one configuration or another (the band started in '82) was the best known. Rounding out the line-up were bassist Matt Snell and drummer Jeremy Spencer.
FFDP recorded their debut "The Way Of The Fist" in '06 and it was released the following year by Firm Music, a subsidiary of The Firm, a management company that represented KoRn, Staind and Limp Bizkit. The set featured "The Bleeding" which did significant chart damage including a spot in the Active Rock Radio Top 10.
FFDP headlined the Guitar hero II second stage on the '07 Family Values Tour before they jumped into the Bitch We Have A Problem trek with KoRn and Hellyeah.
FFDP announced, in early '09, that Roberts had exited and was replaced by Jason Hook, who previously played with Alice Cooper and Vince Neil. According to a statement the split "was a mutual agreement between the band and Darrell . . . It was a swift and smooth transition and we all remain good friends."
As the name implies, Five Finger Death Punch dwells on Metal's dark side (is there any other?). "The Way Of The Fist" features pummeled verses that give way to choruses that soar or at least rise above the sonic mire. It's standard operating procedure and FFDP can execute.
Lyrically, they're "sick and tired of the whole f*cking world" ("The Way Of The Fist") and have no stomach for placing faith in anything "that doesn't believe in me" ("Salvation").
The title track and "A Place To Die" are potent. "The Devil's Own" is in there but "White Knuckles" can't quite muster the drive to put it over.
There are nuanced changes from track to track but FFDP keep the din and roar going for as long as possible. The major turn is "The Bleeding," a thrash ballad with epic guitar lines. There's no way it could miss.