Five Finger Death Punch
by Mike Huberty
February 2008
Five Finger Death Punch
Rock music and guys beating the crap out of each other is an age-old and glorious tradition, from Cyndi Lauper’s weird relationship with Captain Lou Albano to Motley Crue performing at WWF events for their reunion. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH (taking their name from a finishing move in Tarantino’s Kill Bill films) brings the fisticuffs even further into their music (and with song titles like “The Bleeding”, “White Knuckles”, and “The Way of the Fist”, asskicking is on the agenda) and even sponsor a brand of “combat gear”!
Formed in 2005 from a group of guys taken from various metal outfits like W.A.S.P., U.P.O., Motograter, and Anubis Rising, the band gelled quickly. Skins-pounder, Jeremy Spencer, remembers, “Ivan (Moody, the singer) came down on a Friday, we flew him down, and he auditioned for about half a song. We knew he was the guy, so we said, ‘Cool, guess what? You’re in the studio on Monday.’ We didn’t let him go home, we changed the (plane) ticket and had him record the album.” Finding a bridge between old and new styles of heavy metal, they take influences of old Metallica, Testament, Pantera, and Slayer. Spencer says, “They were bands that really had the whole package. They had great songs, great vision for the band, great players that were really good live. We set out to make a record that put the whole package back together. Songs with good choruses, good hooks, being able to play your instrument live and put on an entertaining show. Having an overall vision for the band, I think we’ve achieved that.” As far as new bands, Spencer’s favorites are Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, and Demon Hunter.
Recently on tour with Korn and Hellyeah, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was all set to hit Wisconsin in February with All That Remains and Chimaira but had to cancel all of their tourdates through March 7th. Singer Ivan Moody came down with calluses on his vocal cords and was assigned by the doctor to two months of vocal rest. They say to keep an eye on their website for rescheduled dates, but as far as what kind of show the fans will be missing, Spencer just laughs. “It’s been dubbed the Five Finger Blood Bath because our pits are very intense and people get hurt all the time. I’d say watch out if you’re coming because the pits are vicious!” [fivefingerdeathpunch.com]
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