Over the past 15 years, Five Finger Death Punch have secured their place among metal’s most successful and prolific bands, dropping nine full-length albums and scooping up multiple chart-toppers, awards and gold and platinum certifications along the way. Polarising at times for some of their outspoken views, they continue to fill stadiums across the globe and their songs and videos generate streams in the eight-figure range.
With the band featuring on the cover of the brand new issue of Metal Hammer, we threw it out to their fans to vote for their favourite Five Finger Death Punch tracks. The people have spoken, and this is what they say…
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20. Battle Born (2013)
Faced with the enviable problem of having too much compelling new material for a single album, the band opted to drop two full-length albums, The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell, Vols. 1 and 2 released a few months apart. Like the first instalment, Vol. 2 skyrocketed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of tracks like Battle Born — a rousing power ballad about life on the road.
19. Blue On Black (2018)
One of two covers on And Justice For None (along with the Offspring’s Gone Away), 5FDP’s take on the Kenny Wayne Shepherd classic fused smouldering backwoods acoustics with hammering tempos. They released an updated version a year later, featuring Shepherd himself, along with Queen’s Brian May and country singer Brantley Gilbert, to raise money for first responders.
18. The Way Of The Fist (2007)
5FDP’s self-produced debut delivered some of their most iconic fare, not the least of which is the title track. Featuring original guitarist Darrell Roberts, it caught the attention of not just festival audiences, but bands like Korn and Disturbed, who offered the band critical support slots in their early days.
17. White Knuckles (2007)
Slotted in the middle of their debut, White Knuckles emerged as a surprise hit with its surging cadence and wall-of-death climax. By the end of this song in their live show, the entire venue looks like a sprawling, windswept field of fists and horns.
16. I Apologize (2015)
Ivan Moody has never been shy about conveying his rawest emotions through his lyrics and on I Apologize (from 2015’s Got Your Six) he confronted his battles with substance abuse. 5FDP have cultivated an uncommonly intimate relationship with their fans and the cement that binds them is the unflinching honesty of tracks like this.
15. Burn MF (2013)
This unqualified banger from The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell, Vol. 1 has installed itself as an instant pit-opener in their shows. Mixed and produced for maximum force, it sees vocalist Moody unleashing his cavernous roar above the dual-fretted chug of Bathory and former guitarist Jason Hook.
14. The Pride (2011)
Name-checking a litany of American cultural signposts — brands, institutions and celebrities — The Pride showcases the band’s trademark fusion of bone-crushing heaviness with doggedly-affecting melodies and choruses big enough for landing fighter jets.
13. Coming Down (2011)
FFDP’s first US Mainstream Rock number one single is built on an onslaught of pummeling riffs and the melodic latticework of Bathory and Hook. While some bands pull back the heaviness in their ballads, Coming Down establishes that even FFDP’s most fragile offerings pack an absolute wallop.
12. Hard To See (2009)
2009’s War Is The Answer established that their paint-peeling debut was only a taste of things to come. It marked their first collaboration with producer Kevin Churko, who coaxed a new depth of heaviness out of the guys, masterfully captured on Hard To See, the album’s bruising second track.
11. Never Enough (2007)
Moody penned this while sidelined with throat issues that prevented him from performing and the track was partially inspired by fans sending him emails expressing anger at him for taking time off. He has also cited creative differences with their label at the time as pushing him to something of a creative brink, stating, “it just got to a point where I was like, you know, when does it become enough?”
