Five Finger Death Punch‘s tenth studio album appears to have been wrapped up. Ivan Moody, vocalist for the multi-platinum alternative metal band, announced the news yesterday, May 29th, stating on his social media:
“ALBUM X DONE I used to “celebrate” by drinking myself into oblivion #fuckedup Nowadays, I prefer to #celebrate with @northshoreburger”
Tentative plans have had this record arriving later this year, with the lead single “Eye Of The Storm“, having debuted earlier this month. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory just recently spoke with 93X about this new record and what fans can expect from it. He said [transcribed via Blabbermouth.net]
“This album is a little bit of a reach back to the first three. The first three albums [were] a little bit more aggro… So, yeah, the balance changed a little bit. A little bit more guitars, a tiny bit less drums, less vocals. So we kind of shifted the balance, and that makes it sound a little bit gruffer as well. And we thought, ‘Okay, [‘Eye Of The Storm‘] is the perfect song that will sort of represent what is the new album.’ Of course, there is much, much heavier stuff on there.
And then we always have a couple of lighter things, because the idea is you wanna give a full picture. If I just gave you 14 really heavy songs, to me, it’s boring. Maybe somebody loves that; I don’t know. To me, this is the same energy going through. I like the roller coasters. And so kind of look at an album like that. You need two, three, four songs that are lighter. You need about four, five mid-tempo — that’s what this is, that mid-range, that middle of the road, for us style-wise, and then you need your barn burners. That’s the one that, when you play that, it activates people’s dental plan in a mosh pit… So, that’s kind of the picture. And then this was sort of at that middle range of what’s coming.”
In the same chat, it was noted by 93X‘s Kevin Kellam that “Eye Of The Storm” is decidely heavy for a radio single. Bathory responded:
“That’s kind of the weird thing that the metal community doesn’t understand. Like, look, guys, if you want your community to be healthy and big and grow, you’re gonna need bands like Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, bands like us, that kind of coast in between, that we have some songs that can live on radio.
And there’s a limit to that. Again, people are commuting and listening to music. They don’t wanna crash. They go, ‘Oh, what the hell is going on? What is that?’ So from their perspective, it is a heavier song. So when you look at what’s the average on radio, it is a little bit heavier than that. But [it’s gotten a] huge reaction. Everybody’s playing it. That means that the audience is ready for that. Radio audience is accepting it. It’s doing really well. And it also gives the people a kind of a pretty good picture of what’s coming.”
The same chat also saw Bathory brush off criticism that his band are fomulaic:
“[Bands like] Iron Maiden, AC/DC, us, all these bands are progressing. The songs are not the same. People say, ‘Oh, it’s the same thing.’ It isn’t. And the example I’m gonna make, if you’re a beer connoisseur. You’re drinking beer. You can tell the difference between every single sort of ale — you’re a connoisseur. Or a wine connoisseur — you can tell the difference between wine that was produced in Spain or France or America. You know, because you’re a connoisseur.
So when you’re a person who’s into metal, especially when you have a specific band, for you AC/DC does not sound the same, because you’re a connoisseur of that band. You understand the difference. Or Iron Maiden, or pick all these bands. Somebody as an outsider or a casual listener, just like a casual beer drinker, will go, ‘Oh, it’s just beer.’ Or, ‘It’s just wine.’ They can’t really tell the difference. ‘Oh, it’s the same thing. It’s just wine.’ No, not really.
So if you’re a fan of this band, then you definitely see the progression. If you’re a casual listener, then I would understand the same way that probably people would say, like, ‘Well, AC/DC, the same riff.’ No, it isn’t, but if you’re a casual listener, then for you it is. So there [is] always also a section of the album where we look at it like, okay, we can sacrifice, so to speak, two, three songs into something more progressive that I wouldn’t have done before. But you can’t do five of those because then now the album completely shifted. So there is this idea of balance. We cook it.”
“There has to be four, five, six songs [on every album] that are core Five Finger Death Punch. That’s why the fans love us, that’s our sound. We have to deliver that, and that’s where we operate anyway. It’s not something that I go to the studio and say, ‘I have to do this.’ That’s what naturally comes out anyway. That’s how we sound. So that’s gonna be our regular sort of Death Punch sound.
You have to have, like, five, six, seven songs like that… And then you put, like, three [or] four really heavy [songs] in there, and a couple of ballady stuff in there. And then you have a pretty good even surface of, ‘All right. All the facets of the bands are sort of showcased, and I gave you a record that is not just one tone.’ If I give you a record with 14 super-heavy songs — well, there are bands that do that, and good for them. I’m not a fan of that. I like variation… It’s like a live show, how you put together a live show. Even the songs on the album, what comes after what matters. Just like a live show — you’re not gonna open a show with a ballad.”
