Five Finger Death Punch and Lamb of God

Caleb Bingham joined the band as a second guitarist, but was soon replaced by Darrell Roberts.

The same year, Five Finger Death Punch signed a record deal with Firm Music to produce its first album, The Way of the Fist. The album got a slow start, entering the Billboard 200 chart at number 199. However, it soon went on to sell over half a million copies in the U.S. alone. Five Finger Death Punch then embarked on its first major tour as a supporting act for Korn’s Family Values Tour.

Five Finger Death Punch returned to the road in 2008 as a supporting act on Disturbed’s Indestructible Tour. In May that year, the band re-released The Way of the Fist with three bonus tracks. At the beginning of 2009, Roberts left and was replaced by Jason Hook.

Five Finger Death Punch’s popularity rose with the release of its second studio album War is the Answer in September 2009. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over 40,000 copies in the first week. The album produced six singles, including the chart-topper, “Hard to See.” It went on to sell over one million copies and is now certified platinum by the RIAA. To promote the record, Five Finger Death Punch embarked on its first headlining tour, The Shock and Raw Tour.

Five Finger Death Punch began recording its third studio album in November 2010. Snell then decided to leave the band and was replaced by Chris Kael the following June.

In October 2011, Five Finger Death Punch released its third album, American Capitalist. It was the most successful release to date. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over 90,000 copies in its first week. It is now certified platinum by the RIAA.

In 2013, Five Finger Death Punch announced its upcoming fourth and fifth albums. The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell was released as two separate volumes.

Volume 1 dropped in June 2014, climbing to number two on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. Volume 2 followed that September, also landing a number two spot on the same chart. It sold 77,000 copies in the first week.

Five Finger Death Punch announced the release of its sixth record in 2015. The band spent much of the year touring with Papa Roach to promote its upcoming album, Got Your Six, which dropped in September that year. Got Your Six debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and was the top-selling album of the week.

In 2018, Five Finger Death Punch released its seventh studio album, And Justice for None. It includes a cover of “Gone Away” by The Offspring. All four of these albums went on to be certified platinum and gold, making Five Finger Death Punch one of the most successful metal bands of the decade.

Five Finger Death Punch’s eighth record, F8, arrived in February 2020, followed by its ninth studio album, AfterLife in August 2022.

The band currently consists of Zoltan Bathory on rhythm guitar, Ivan Moody on lead vocals, Chris Kael on bass, Charlie Engen on drums, and Andy James on lead guitar.

Catch the band live now on its AfterLife Tour.

The groove-metallers formed in 1994, under the name Burn the Priest. The band decided to change their name in late 1999 to avoid being mistaken for a satanic metal band - wise move! After several line-up changes, the band currently comprises of Randy Blythe (vocals), Mark Morton (guitar), Willie Adler (guitar), John Campbell (bass) and Chris Adler (drums). The band have been compared to Pantera, Testament and described as “the leaders of the pack” of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal Movement which includes bands such as Biohazard, Slipknot and Machine Head. Bassist John Campbell has described the band as “a punk band that plays heavy metal”.

In 2000, Lamb of God released their first album under their new name, entitled “New American Gospel”, which was met with positive reviews. Following in 2003 was “As the Palaces Burn”, which was swiftly followed in 2004 by “Ashes of the Wake”, now under new record label Epic Records. It was their highest grossing album up to that point, selling over 35,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number 27 on the Billboard 200 in the US. “Laid to Rest” is the most well-known song from the album, due in part to its appearance in the videogame “Guitar Hero 2” as a playable track.

Lamb of God released their fifth album “Sacrament” in August 2006, which was met with rave reviews from critics and debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200. The band appeared on several major tours in support of the album, including “The Unholy Alliance” tour with Slayer, Mastodon and Children of Bodom, a co-headline tour with Killswitch Engage, Soilwork and DevilDriver and Gigantour, supporting Megadeth. They also played the main stage at Ozzfest and at Download Festival. In 2009, the band released their sixth album “Wrath” under yet another new record label, Roadrunner Records. The album reached number two on the Billboard 200. During this time, the band were touring the world as first support to Metallica.

Songs by Lamb of God have frequently appeared in films and videogames, including “Hit the Wall” which was featured in the Iron Man 2 and Splatterhouse games. “Walk with Me in Hell” is featured on the soundtrack for the film Saw III. The band has been nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, the first in 2010 when they lost out to Judas Priest and again in 2011, losing this time to Iron Maiden.

The band released their seventh album “Resolution” in 2012 and also released a documentary entitled “As The Palaces Burn” which were both met with positive reviews.