Live-Metal.Net - Interviews: Five Finger Death Punch

True metal. Any fan of the genre can rattle off bands deserving of such a label. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Megadeth—the list goes on. A common theme connects these and others that first come to mind: They all formed more than two decades ago. Bastardized by subgenres over the years, metal as a whole has lost much of what attracted the rabid fans that are its hallmark.

Enter Five Finger Death Punch, a group of metal veterans boldly carrying the same flag as the titans who came before them. The lineup: frontman Ivan Moody, whose credits include Ozzfest 2003 vets Motograter and Ghost Machine, who released their second album last fall on Corporate Punishment Records; former U.P.O. guitarist Zoltan Bathory; drummer Jeremy Spencer and guitarist Darrell Roberts, both former members of W.A.S.P.; and ex-Deadsett bassist Matt Snell. Their debut, The Way of the Fist, will soon be unleashed upon the masses. Four songs available on the band’s MySpace page —“Ashes,” “The Bleeding,” “The Way of the Fist” and “The Devil’s Own”—showcase a sound that combines brutal heaviness with haunting melodies, metal marked by its power, musicianship and vocal versatility.

The metal community is catching on quickly. Fourteen regional fan clubs have sprung up in the United States, along with one across the pond in London. Sample comments from the 5FDP MySpace page: “Thanks for taking metal where it belongs;” “The best metal I’ve heard in … too long to remember;” and “You’re a breath of toxic fucking air for the metal world.” The band has embraced its fans on a level like few others, allowing them to select the artwork for The Way of the Fist.

As the 5FDP crew prepares for the album release and the launch of what is expected to be a massive tour, Zoltan and Jeremy introduced themselves and their band (which takes its name from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 2) to Greg Maki of Live-Metal.net in the following interview.

One of the first things anyone sees when going to FiveFingerDeathPunch.com or the band’s MySpace page is the words “true metal.” What is your definition of “true metal”?

Zoltan: The term itself actually came from the fans; it was their definition for our straight-ahead metal. I think what we’re doing reminds them of the glory days of metal. If you read all those comments, there are hundreds of them are saying things like, “We were waiting for this since Pantera,” “You guys are what metal needs,” and “This is TRUE metal!” So we adapted their term, “true metal.”

Tell you the truth, while it is flattering, it also gives the band some sort of a responsibility. It’s almost like we were given a flag to carry. I think that’s everything a man can ask for, a purpose that is much bigger than him. That’s what true metal means to me, to uphold something sacred at all cost. You see, metal—and I’m talking about straight-ahead metal—got diluted and bastardized to the point you couldn’t even call it metal anymore. Thus, “metal” disappeared from the mainstream. The hybrids, the rap, hip-hop, punk metal fusions took over, and the only survivors of the genre went way underground, the really heavy stuff, which is awesome but too extreme to reach a larger audience.

We set out to fill that gap and bring metal to the masses, recruit this new generation to the metal camp. We need to get to these kids before they buy another whiny emo record and get influenced by it. I mean, for fuck sake, they would never grow some balls. Really, we’re doing the world a huge favor.

Jeremy: True metal is coming from a place musically that avoids trends or whatever flavor is popular. It’s creating a feeling that resonates within the primal core of everyone. Something that stomps balls but isn’t bonehead. Something with hooks, great melodies and songs with great choruses! Good metal songs that are well crafted.

Jeremy: 1. Metallica - Master of Puppets (Truly a brilliant record, their peak. The Cliff influence is undeniable.) 2. Slayer - Reign in Blood (From start to finish, an ass-stomper! Not my favorite Slayer record, but the vision on this one was certainly focused and created the tone for what was to come in thrash metal.) 3. Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power (This record kicked so much ass in every regard. The grooves on this one were nasty! The vocal delivery was new and perfect. No one else was doing what he was doing vocally at that point. Great fucking songs from beginning to end.) 4. Death - Human (This record was kind of a pioneer in the way of taking technical playing to the next level while still being listenable.) 5. Anthrax - Among the Living (It had a cool different vocal approach and the grooves were pretty sick.)

There are many honorable mentions and you probably could swap out some of them with what's on the list: King Diamond - Them, Sepultura - Roots, Megadeth - Rust in Peace, Judas Priest - Painkiller, and many more.

Zoltan: I think these were the albums to represent metal in its purest form:

1. Metallica - Master of Puppets

2. Iron Maiden - Killers and The Number of the Beast

3. Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

4. Accept - Restless and Wild and Metal Heart

5. Megadeth – So Far, So Good, So What

But there was Anthrax - Spreading the Disease and Among the Living, Testament - The Legacy, and many more.

Jeremy: So much of what I’m hearing today is pretty mediocre on the song front. A lot of these bands can play their asses off and they crush, but they don't have songs. That’s why they don’t sell records. It doesn’t matter how fast you play or much you shred or scream, if you don't have a chorus, it’s over.

Zoltan: Personally, I love to be inspired by kickass bands. You know, when something just blows you the fuck out of the water and pushes you to get better at what you do. Unfortunately, it didn’t really happen to me for a long time. There are a few awesome bands out there I really respect, though, but I have to agree with Jeremy. Bands need to write songs, good choruses. And by choruses, I don't mean some sappy over sweetened crap.

All in all, I think metal is coming back to life, it is still on the underground side, but a couple of really good bands could bust it wide open and get it back to the mainstream.

Jeremy: It was at a time where metal was kind of rising up from the ashes but wasn’t really happening as far as “what was out there.” You had badly dressed poseurs with way more makeup than any damn man should wear screaming and gargling up lyrics nobody could make out.

Personally, I wanted to do something that was honest, brutally heavy but not completely void of melodies. I was so over all the Cookie Monster vocal bands.

When I heard a couple of Zoltan’s tracks, I instantly took a liking to them. There was an energy and a frenetic rhythmical style that was really out there. When we got together in a rehearsal space, we both knew right away that this was gonna be “that band.” Within a couple of months, we actually started to track the record, just the two of us.

In the meantime, Zoltan found Matt, who was kind of a “rent an insane bass player” character at the time, producing bands, recording shit for everyone and jumping in to help out different bands when they needed a sick player for a tour or a show. He came down and we all knew he just found a home. He was down with the shreddage, and you could tell immediately that he was gonna be there for the whole ride.

We needed the front man. Not just A front man. We needed THE front man. That person had to have the “magic,” somebody who can sing melodies without losing his balls, and at the same time, he has to melt your face off when we push the ugly button. That guy was Ivan.

Zoltan saw him tearing it up at Ozzfest and had been in contact with him on and off for a while and finally sent him the tracks. Ivan was blown away, packed his shit up and moved to Los Angeles .

We had a couple insanely talented second guitarists, but they were not the “right guys” despite their musical ability. I’m sure you’ll see them pop up sooner or later, they’re too good to not to make it. But for us, we needed the right personality as well.

I was briefly in W.A.S.P. a few years ago and immediately hit it off with their guitar player, Darrell. Not only could he shred his ass off, but, also, he was bulletproof on stage and had toured the world many times over. When he walked away from W.A.S.P., I gave him a CD. Next day, our battleship was complete, armed and ready to roll. So it all just kind of fell into place like that.

Jeremy: Kind of like stepping on a garden rake while looking at a supermodel. Blissful yet fucking devastating. We have an energy and a rhythmical style that’s different than what’s happening out there. We have songs that grab you and stay with you and rip your face off. Hooks, balls, melodies and energy—that's us.

Do you have any non-metal influences, something that might surprise a 5FDP fan?

Jeremy: Really, to me, there are two kinds of music, good and bad. If it’s delivered from the right place and is undeniable, I’ll recognize it and give props. I dig Prince and David Bowie and some ’80s wave, as well.

Zoltan: I often get in my car around 3 a.m. and cruise the streets of L.A. When I do, I listen to a smooth jazz station. But music only. If a tune comes up with a singer, I mute the radio. I don’t wanna hear any motherfucker singing, talking or even utter a fucking word. Only the palm trees, the breeze, the hum of the V8 and smooth jazz. Los Angeles , 3 a.m. — it fuckin’ rules.

Zoltan: Capturing complex emotions people can relate to. There was a time when composers expressed themselves with the music alone, classical musicians, for example. I believe the music should paint you a story on its own. When creativity strikes, I see stories, pictures, events, landscapes in my head, and I just write a soundtrack to them, and when you have a singer, like Ivan, who is really good at tapping into the song’s “story,” in the end, the words and the music will talk about the same thing. So you’re hearing it and feeling, too. It’s very powerful.

Is there a philosophy behind The Way of the Fist or is it just a cool title?

Zoltan: It’s just a cool title—until you hear the record… ;)

How much of an impact did [producer] Stevo "Shotgun" Bruno (Prong, Mötley Crüe) and [mixer] Logan Mader (Machine Head, Soulfly) have on the album?

Zoltan: Both of those guys are pros and are on the top of their game, but this wasn’t our first BBQ either, so it was a very pleasant experience on all sides. We came in with a matured, fully developed album, knew exactly what we wanted. We tracked at Stevo’s, he’s fast, doesn't waste your time and gets the goods on tape. Then we went to Logan, who mixed and mastered the record. Logan is an extremely precise guy and has a really good habit of listening to and respecting the artists he’s working with. We had a solid idea about how this record should sound like, and he listened to us and made that happen. And tell you what, there’s nothing like walking out of a studio with a record in your hand and have that satisfying FUCK YEAH!—without regrets or second thoughts. So I would say the biggest impact is that they helped us to achieve what we wanted without trying to influence it. If you’re a musician, you understand in this world that is solid GOLD .

According to the MySpace page, the band does not have a label. Are you releasing the album yourselves? Does a band need label support to be successful today?

Zoltan: We’re definitely not trying to reinvent the wheel. There is a certain symbiosis in the recording industry. A tribe of warriors wouldn’t survive on their own. You see, somebody has to fix the weapons, make medicine, keep up the fort while we are out there slaying.

So the answer is yes, we are signed to a label. We have management, and we’re also signed to TKO, which is one of the premier booking agencies. Our weapons are coming from Schecter, Ibanez , BC Rich, Mesa Boogie, Krank, Line 6 and Diamond Amplifications. So, yes, we have a base camp with a lot of good people in it.

Zoltan: We’re going out to support the record soon and staying out for who knows how long. Then there are talks of Ozzfest. All in all, wherever you are, you can’t hide. The Death Punch is coming. We’re planning to stay out on the road as much as possible.

Zoltan: We cut down trees.

Jeremy: There are so many!!! Slayer would be a trial by fire and a dream come true!! Bands that have exciting shows with insane crowds, so the energy exchange will be that much more intense. Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, DevilDriver, to name a few.

Zoltan: Sharing stage with Metallica, Maiden, that would be an honor. But any kickass metal band. On the end the day, we just wanna be out there pummeling.

The band already has created a lot of buzz and has a devoted fan following, without even releasing an album yet. What does that mean to you? Are you surprised by how quickly it’s taking off?

Zoltan: There are a lot of metalheads out there who are just sick of the bullshit. They want their metal back. Actually, I’m one of those people myself, so when we formed this band, we just wrote the music we were missing and wanted to hear, and it seems like we hit a chord with a lot of people. The world is ready for this.

Jeremy: We’re very pleased and grateful that people are taking us in! I think people were needing that band. We’re happy to be that band. The love we get on MySpace has been invaluable! It’s been the driving force of the so-called buzz. Should be interesting to see it grow and develop once the record comes out in April.