In the latest studio diary from their new album sessions, Five Finger Death Punch‘s Zoltan Bathory and Ivan Moody talked a bit about the band’s name. Bathory had the following to say about the moniker:
“The name of the band has to have some kind of effect. It doesn’t have to be positive; it doesn’t have to be, like, ‘That’s the greatest name in the world!’ It can be, ‘Oh my god, that’s the dumbest fucking shit I ever heard!’–equally good, because it got a reaction. I mean, I don’t think you can beat ‘Five Finger Death Punch.’ That’s probably the worst fucking name. In fact, we almost changed it, but then Ivan came in and said, ‘That’s the best name ever, they’re gonna fucking hate it! Keep it! That’s fucking ridiculous!’”
Former Five Finger Death Punch drummer Jeremy Spencer has announced that he has become a reserve police officer in Rockport, IN. Spencer passed the pre-basic course of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and was sworn in by Mayor Gay Ann Harney. He said the following:
“I was recently sworn in as a Reserve Police Officer of the Rockport, Indiana Police Department by city Mayor Gay Ann Harney. I’m still a resident of Las Vegas, NV, but It’s an honor to be able to come back to this area when I can and serve the community as a reserve police officer and help out my brothers.”
In a recent studio diary from their new album sessions, Five Finger Death Punch confirmed that they have recruited Charlie Engen (Scale The Summit) as their new drummer. Engen previously filled in for former drummer Jeremy Spencer after he was unable to tour due to back surgery. Spencer officially exited the group in December 2018.
Jason Hook said the following:
“It was actually Jeremy that found Charlie. Jeremy had reached out to [him] through Instagram.”
Engen added:
“Yeah, we had been just drum buddies for a while, talking drums and classic stuff, so we developed a relationship that way. And that was a year and a half before all this.”
Hook continued:
“And so when Jeremy told us that he was thinking about hanging it up — he had gone through a couple of different surgeries and really thought that he wasn’t gonna be able to play drums up to his standards — we understood. ‘But the good news is I found the guy.’ He said, ‘Well, it’s this fellow on Instagram named Charlie.’ I immediately went and started checking out the videos online, and I was, like, ‘Holy fuck! This guy’s a beast!’ And I think I reached out to [him].”
Engen added:
“Yeah, we talked for a little bit before, leading up to everything.”
Zoltan Bathory also commented, saying Engen is an “an unbelievable drummer”:
“The funny thing was that Jeremy kind of found him, but I followed him, so when he said who it is, I’m, like, ‘Oh, yeah! That kid is fucking amazing.’ So I already knew about him. So that was pretty cool. So I guess you can say that Jeremy handed down the torch.”
Five Finger Death Punch are currently recording their new album with producer Kevin Churko at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas and the band have been sharing a series of videos from the sessions. In one of the clips, guitarist Zoltan Bathory said the following about the new material:
“Man, so far, this record is gonna be… Holy shit! It’s nasty— some nasty riffs. The vocals are great. Kind of like ‘War Is The Answer’ [2009], ‘The Way Of The Fist’ [2007] a little bit. For some reason, the music is kind of shifting back to that heavier side. And, man, I’m really, really curious to see how it’s gonna turn out, because… Wow! I’m very, very happy with what’s happening.”
Five Finger Death Punch have entered The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, NV to work on their new album with producer Kevin Churko. The band shared the below footage from the sessions:
Five Finger Death Punch have joined forces with Brian May (Queen), Brantley Gilbert, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd to record a new cover of Shepherd’s “Blue On Black.” An official video for the track can be found below. All proceeds from this version will go towards the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory said the following:
“To raise awareness for and support First Responders is a cause that’s always been close to our hearts. These brave men and women leave their homes every morning not knowing if they’ll ever see their families again. Yet they make a conscious choice to do so for the greater good. What better way to make a difference than to join forces with some of our friends in country, blues and classic rock who happen to be some of the biggest names in those genres and together celebrate these heroes.”
Gilbert continued:
“‘Blue On Black‘ is a song my band and I have covered off and on for years… songs are certified timeless when you can come back to them. It’s always a staple each night and one of my favorite songs to perform. When the opportunity came up to sing on Five Finger’s version, with both Kenny Wayne and Brian May of Queen, I jumped at the chance… Who wouldn’t?! It incorporates so many different musical perspectives, but our collaboration just works brilliantly.”
Shepherd added:
“When Five Finger Death Punch approached me about teaming up with them to do a special version of ‘Blue On Black‘, I was thrilled to do it. When they told me Brantley Gilbert and Brian May were also going to be part of it, I was honored. This is a powerful collaboration of rock, country and blues artists and a true testament to the commonalities these musical styles share, and I think the fans will appreciate and enjoy it as much as we do.”
Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody, who has struggled with alcohol addiction in the past, recently celebrated one year of sobriety. Now, the singer has taken things a step further by getting a face tattoo to commemorate the achievement. You can see photos and footage of him getting inked in the below Instagram slideshows.
