During Episode 18 of The Metallica Report, found here, Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory discussed his band's rise to fame, dispelling the long-held belief that FFDP was financed by people in the music industry.

Bathory: "It's always been a massive misconception when it comes to the press, when it comes to the audience because this band grew really quickly. We connected to the fans, and our growth was exponential, and everybody thought that there must be some industry going, coming in here with suitcases of cash, and they made us. That's exactly the opposite of the truth."

"The first record was literally created in my bedroom. The whole record - every single guitar, bass - was recorded in a bedroom. It was a little desk and a computer, and just a minimal amount of equipment, and we did everything there. And then in the end, we went to a better studio to catch the drums and then the vocals, and then went back to the home and finished it there. So it's a homemade record. That record is almost platinum now. So you can do it, everybody can do it; the technology allows you to."

"We signed to an independent label where we were the only band on the label, and it never really changed. We never had a major label deal. The band never had tour support. So basically, we designed our own merch, and the merch would support the band. It's been always like that. It was always an independent band."

Check out the interview below.

Five Finger Death Punch will embark on a full UK/European tour of headline dates, as well as major festivals next summer bringing their latest album Afterlife and all the band’s classic hits to the most iconic stages across 20 European countries between May and July 2024. The tour also coincides with the European portion of Metallica’s M72 Tour on which 5FDP continue to tour stadiums around the world as Special Guest.

For the headline dates of the summer tour, 5FDP’s will bring along Ice Nine Kills as special guest. The band has cemented itself as as one of modern metal's most vicious forces with it‘s most current album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood.  

Tour dates below, tickets here.

May
23 - London, OVO Arena, UK
26 - Munich, Olympiastadion, DE *
28 - Zurich, Hallenstadion, CH
29 - Milan, Idays Festival, IT **
31 - Plzen, Metalfest Open Air Plazen, CZ **

June
1 - Vienna, Rancino Rocks, AT *
3 - Hannover, ZAG Arena, DE
5 - Solvesborg, Sweden Rock Festival, SE **
6 - Trondheim, Trondheim Rocks, NO **
9 - Helsinki, Olympic Stadium, FI *
11 - Tallin, Unibet Arena, EE
13 - Kaunas, Zalgiris Arena, LT
16 - Copenhagen, Parken Stadium, DK *
18 - Frankfurt, Festhalle, DE
19 - Amsterdam, AFAS Live, NL
21 - Dessel, Graspop Metal Meeting, BE **
23 - Ferropolis, Full Force Festival, DE **
25 - Oberhausen, Rudolf Weber-Arena, DE
26 - Esch-Sur-Alzette, Rockhal, LU ***
29 - Zilina, Topfest, SK **

July
4 - Bucharest, Metalhead Festival – 20 years aLIVE, RO
7 - Warsaw, PGE Narodowy, PL *
9 - Budapest, Barba Negra, HU
14 - Madrid, Estadio Civitas Metropolitano, ES *

* Metallica support
** festival dates
*** no Ice Nine Kills

(Photo - Hristo Shindov)