Five Finger Death Punch’s Chris Kael On Band’s Bond With Military
Five Finger Death Punch's Chris Kael at Las Rageous sat down to talk about the band's close bond with their military fans and their efforts to help vets with PTSD. This past weekend at Las Rageous, Five Finger Death Punch played a loud and enthusiastic set for their hometown crowd. The band has always been polarizing for rock and metal fans with many either passionately loving or hating their music. If you were at Las Rageous, there was nothing but adoring fans screaming every lyric, of every song at the top of their lungs. One of the biggest portions of the FFDP fanbase belongs to service members. The band has been able to make a strong connection with the military through their songs, as well as the various ways the band identified and has reached out to help soldiers.
The band's newest video for the cover of the Offspring's "Gone Away" is an emotional, gut wrenching story about the toll of losing friends in combat on a soldier. The cover already is such a unique rendition on the song "Gone Away," and the video fits perfectly with the somber take on the tune. A few years ago, the band made a video for the song "Wrong Side Of Heaven" to bring awareness to the issues of veteran suicide and PTSD for returning veterans. When fans see Five Finger Death Punch discussing these issues publicly, Chris Kael said he knew firsthand that it made it easier for a soldier to discuss their own struggles with PTSD:
"I know firsthand messages via Facebook, Instagram that that is the case. You know, the military is a very intense thing, you don't really talk about feelings a whole lot. And then when you have something like that hit, you take it in I mean hell, I'm guilty of the same thing. That's why I got to where I was in February. By holding stuff in, and not letting stuff out. So it's nice to kind of have that effect where people open up and go to get the help they need."
Kael also told different stories about the band's trips overseas and the moment he realized just how big their military fanbase is. Five Finger Death Punch's new album And Justice For None comes out on May 18. The band is out on tour currently with Shinedown and will be hitting the road with Breaking Benjamin this summer. The band is also performing at various festivals around the US this spring and summer.