Zoltan Bathory, co-founder and guitarist for Five Finger Death Punch, recently joined Chuck Armstrong on Loudwire Nights to discuss the band’s remarkable 20-year journey in the music industry. Bathory offered candid reflections on the band’s origins, their unexpected success, and the strategic decision to re-record some of their most popular songs.
Recalling the early days, Bathory shared the skepticism they faced (via Loudwire): “In the beginning, people were telling us we’re not going to last six months.” Despite this, he emphasized the inherent optimism required to pursue such a path. “Every band starts like, ‘Oh, we’re going to make it, it’s going to happen.’ And obviously, if you didn’t have that vision then you wouldn’t even start. Of course, we had that.”
Bathory delved into the very genesis of the band, even before the official lineup solidified. “I remember, it was a very special moment,” he stated. “I started the band and I started to record and the first person I was working with was Nadja [Peulen] from Coal Chamber. She and I were working on some stuff, but she wanted more like a gothic kind of thing and I’m more of a metal guy, so that didn’t really work. But that’s where we kind of started.”
The pivotal moment arrived in 2006 with the addition of Ivan Moody as frontman. Bathory described the immediate chemistry and realization of their potential. “I remember a little Beavis and Butthead moment and listening back to [one of the first] songs and thrashing around the house and being like, ‘Man, this is so good,'” he reminisced. “We knew. We had ‘The Bleeding,’ one of our first songs, we knew that this is actually going to happen. Again, I know every band thinks that way, but there was something, this is going to happen. This is going to be big. And here we are.”
Bathory also shed light on the band’s recent decision to re-record some of their most popular tracks for the upcoming compilation, 20 Years of Five Finger Death Punch — Best of Volume 1, set for release on July 18. This move comes after the band’s catalog was reportedly sold without their knowledge. Bathory clarified his relationship with their former label, stating, “I never had a weird relationship with my previous label.” However, he noted that business disagreements can arise.
He drew a parallel to other artists who have faced similar situations, citing Taylor Swift as an example. “But when it came to the business and we disagreed or we got into a lawsuit, well, it is what it is. We got to do what we got to do. So this time, they sold the masters. It happens, it happens to so many artists, one of them was Taylor Swift and Taylor Swift has a massive, loyal fanbase. So what did they do? They re-recorded the album, put it online and the fanbase just switched. They understood, they supported the artist.”
Bathory believes Five Finger Death Punch possesses a similarly loyal fanbase, which influenced their strategic response. “We were like, ‘Okay, if that’s the game you want to play, we can play this game.’ We’re going to re-record the whole ting. And that’s what it is, that’s kind of why it happened,” he concluded, emphasizing the band’s proactive approach to reclaiming control over their music.
You can listen to the full interview here.
