Las Vegas metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH have begun tracking brand new compositions for the follow-up to last year's two-album set, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell".
"We're at the studio right now, and we're recording some new material," FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer told Artisan News earlier this month while promoting his autobiography, "Death Punch'd: Surviving Five Finger Death Punch's Metal Mayhem" (see video below). "And after we finish the [fall North American co-headlining] tour with VOLBEAT, we're gonna go back in and try to finish up everything in the winter and then get something out late spring [or] early summer."
He continued: "We've recorded four [songs so far]. I'm liking what I'm hearing, but there's a long way to go, so there's no… We haven't, like, 'Cool, these are four singles.' It's not… We'll judge the body of work when it's done."
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's tour with VOLBEAT kicks off on September 16 in Salt Lake City.
The band will also appear at SLIPKNOT's Knotfest festival, scheduled for late October in San Bernardino, California.
The second volume of "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell" sold 77,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week of release to debut at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart last November. The first volume, which came out in July 2013, also debuted in the same position, although it sold a more substantial 113,000 copies.
"Volume 1" has sold more than 414,000 copies to date. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's three previous albums have all gone gold for sales of 500,000 copies or more.
"Death Punch'd: Surviving Five Finger Death Punch's Metal Mayhem" was released on September 2 by HarperCollins. According to the publisher, Spencer's "personal journey through the wild highs and terrifying lows of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle is told with candor, redemption and enlightenment. The first-time author offers a wry and rollicking tale of music, addiction and recovery, revealing the path that served as a catalyst to make him the man he is today."
The second installment of SLIPKNOT's Knotfest will be held on October 24-26 in San Bernardino, California. The Iowa-based band will headline two days (Friday and Saturday) of the event, playing a different set each night, with more than two dozen other acts rounding out the rest of the the three-day bill. The Friday-night festivities will serve as a pre-party bash for fans who purchase VIP or camping packages.
Fans who purchase tickets to Knotfest will receive a digital copy of SLIPKNOT's new album when it's eventually released.
As previously reported, 2014 will also see the debut of Knotfest Japan. Set for November 15 and November 16 at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, Knotfest Japan will feature SLIPKNOT who performed at last year's Ozzfest Japan, which drew capacity crowds and wide critical acclaim. The two-day music festival, headlined by SLIPKNOT on both days, will feature a mix of more than 20 international and Japanese bands.
"Knotfest is a chance for SLIPKNOT to bring the sensory-overload of a wild European festival — and now we're coming for you, California," says SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan. "Playing two different sets over two nights at one location is a new experience in the history of this band. This year's Knotfests in the U.S. and Japan are going to be on another level."
Early-bird discounted tickets, as well as camping packages, for Knotfest at the San Manuel Amphitheater & Campgrounds in San Bernardino go on sale Monday, July 7, at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET, with VIP packages available starting Wednesday, July 9.
Knotfest in San Bernardino will feature performances by the following artists:
SLIPKNOT
DANZIG
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
VOLBEAT
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
ANTHRAX
OF MICE & MEN
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
TECH N9NE
TESTAMENT
IN THIS MOMENT
ATREYU
HATEBREED
HELLYEAH
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
CARCASS
SUICIDE SILENCE
DEVILDRIVER
WHITECHAPEL
THE FACELESS
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
MAXIMUM THE HORMONE
UPON A BURNING BODY
BUTCHER BABIES
MISS MAY I
VEIL OF MAYA
ONE OK ROCK
KING 810
ANTI MORTEM
MAN WITH A MISSION
NOTHING MORE
CHELSEA GRIN
ALTERBEAST
The official video for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's surprising cover of the classic folk song "The House Of The Rising Sun" will make its online debut on Monday, March 24. The song is the next single from the Las Vegas-based band's recently released album, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 2". The disc came out on November 19, 2013 and is the second half of a two-record set, with "Volume 1" coming out in July 2013.
A teaser for the "gasoline and rocket-fuel-soaked" "The House Of The Rising Sun" video — which was filmed in the desert — can be seen below..
According to The Pulse Of Radio, the original author of "The House Of The Rising Sun" is unknown and the song's roots may date back to the 16th century.
The oldest known existing recording is by Appalachian artists Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster, who recorded it for Vocalion Records in 1934.
The most successful commercial version was recorded by the English rock group THE ANIMALS in 1964, which was a No. 1 hit in the U.K., the U.S., Sweden, Finland and Canada.
The members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH discussed in a recently released video clip how they changed up the classic song to give it a hard-rock vibe, most notably, by switching the song's time signature from 6/8 to 4/4.
"We had the idea to do this for a while," explained guitarist Zoltan Bathory. "The interesting thing about this song is that [it's] actually in a time signature of 6/8 which is a waltz… and rock music and waltz doesn't necessarily mix right."
He continued: "So basically the challenge was: 'How do we make this song work? How do we take away that goofy vibe and how do we make it into a rock structure?'"
"The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 2" sold 77,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The first half of "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, selling 113,000 copies in its first week of release.
JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford joined FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on stage last night (Thursday, December 5) at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England to perform the song "Lift Me Up".
An audio snippet of a new FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song, "Here To Die", taken from the band's forthcoming fourth album, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below...
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer will publish his autobiography, entitled "Deathpunched: Cheers To My Sobriety", early next year.
In a brand ...
