Interview by Eric Campi
Text by Daniel Dystyler
On the eve of the release of their album F8 , Five Finger Death Punch spoke exclusively with Wikimetal .
The band, consisting of Ivan Moody on vocals, Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook on guitars, Chris Kael on bass, and Charlie Engen on drums, releases their eighth studio album this Friday, the 28th, and Wikimetal had the opportunity to talk to Chris Kael, the band's bassist. Read the full interview below.
WIKIMETAL: Let's talk about the new album!
CHRIS KAEL: It's kind of a cliché, everyone says that the last album is always the best, the favorite, etc. But for us, that's true. In every aspect, musically, the relationship between the band members, we've never been better. Even more so with some of us coming from dark clouds, shadowy places, and now recovered. The album is a great representation of the moment we are living in.
WM: Judging by the singles, this album seems heavier. Do you think so too?
CK: Yes, we have that feeling too. I think it's the heaviest one so far. The heavy parts are very heavy. The melodic parts are quite melodic, deeper, more balanced.
WM: That weight was intentional, right?
CK: Oh, definitely! We always do things intentionally [laughs].
WM: One of the singles I liked the most was "Inside Out," which deals with a very difficult topic, right?
CK: Yes, most of the things we talk about on the album are difficult, real-life topics. They're real experiences about addiction and sobriety. And we talk about it on an emotional level that people can connect with, and that's why it resonates with so many people.
WM: Ivan Moody was in rehab recently and all that. Do you think that kind of experience made the band reinvent itself? Zoltan said that this album is a recording of a sober group.
CK: Ah, yes… It’s always a challenge. It raises the question of whether the band is capable of producing artistically without those crutches that an addiction gives you. And receiving feedback from the audience about how well the band is doing, how insane the shows are, seeing the audience's reaction to the first songs gave us the tools and the confidence to know that we don't need addictions or drugs.
WM: What was the process of composing and recording the songs like? Was it different from other times?
CK: It was different from the previous one because before, Jeremy [Spencer, drummer] and Ivan would go to the studio first and kind of plan how it was going to be. And without Jeremy, we were able to take a few more risks and stretch our wings a little further, which perhaps weren't so open before.
WM: Do you think this album is a rebirth for the band?
CK: In a way... I don't think it's exactly a rebirth, but it's more like we've shed our old skin. We've managed to show better who we really are. The real 5FDP.
WM: Do you plan to play many new songs on the new tour?
CK: We've been playing "Inside Out" on this tour with Megadeth . And you can see that the audience has been enjoying it. After the album comes out and people get to know the songs better, we should include other tracks in the setlist.
WM: And what's it like being on tour with Megadeth? And playing afterwards? You guys are a huge band now, aren't you?
CK: You could say we're a big band. I don't [laughs]! It was an incredible feeling playing with Megadeth, and then playing with them afterwards was kind of unreal.
WM: Are you coming to Brazil?
CK: I hope to be able to go to Brazil soon. The first time we went, it took us 10 years to be able to go. The expectation was huge and it was so cool. So much energy and I can't wait to go back. Thank you for making that experience so incredible and I want to thank the Brazilian fans for that.
