How to go
Who: Five Finger Death Punch
Where: McGuffy’s House of Rock, 5418 Burkhardt Road, Dayton
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Cost: Sold out
More info: (937) 256-3005 or www.mcguffys.net
Artist info: www.fivefingerdeath punch.com
Since forming in 2005, Five Finger Death Punch has become a force to be reckoned with. The hard rock outfit — Zoltan Bathory (guitar), Ivan Moody (vocals), Matt Snell (bass), Jeremy Spencer (drums) and Jason Hook (guitar) — mixes nüe metal, punk and progressive rock into a potent musical brew topped with indelible melodies.
Five Finger Death Punch is currently on the road supporting the album, “War is the Answer,” which was released in September. The tour includes theaters and smaller venues, such as the upcoming sold-out show at McGuffy’s House of Rock on Saturday, Feb. 13.
Hook, who joined the band in January 2009, took time last week for a quick telephone interview.
Q: What appealed to you most about joining FFDP?
A: “It’s the music, really. I want to play music I like. I felt in my heart that these guys had all the elements to be one of those great, big bands. I would go to the shows and watch them play and the music was so high energy and so exciting, and it was having the same affect on the 500 or so people that were watching it with me.”
Q: The eclectic nature of Death Punch gives you a chance to tackle a variety of styles. What was it like adapting to that?
A: “It was great because it actually allows me the freedom to be me, which is very cool and important to me. When we made ‘War is the Answer,’ basically Zoltan, Jeremy and me rolled up our sleeves and said, ‘OK, this is all brand new. This is all very weird, but let’s do it.’ I was very grateful to come into this very cool, creative process. Since we knew each other there was already this trust there that they were letting somebody in for the right reasons.”
Q: Unlike a lot of metal bands, FFDP has strong melodic hooks. How do you balance that with the heaviness of the band?
A: “We try to very specifically blend all the wonderful elements of heavy music with the some of the much needed elements of popular music so people can remember choruses. We try to have standout sections that repeat themselves so people have stuff to grab hold of. It was very calculated and it seems to be working. I’m really happy with the little niche we’ve been able to carve out for this group. We’re sort of speeding down the highway and there doesn’t seem to be many other bands in that lane.”
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
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