Five Finger Death Punch is just doing its job

“It’s a huge honor to be asked to carry the flag like this, so instantly we called up the accountants and told them there’s no limit,” he says, “We want to do the biggest, most impressive stage show we can afford — which usually means we spend everything we have.” It’s only when discussing the other bands on the Trespass America ticket that Hook lets the front drop completely. Asked about such acts as metalcore legends Killswitch Engage, thrash mutants Battlecross, mighty New Jersey death metallers God Forbid, and Victory Records stalwarts Emmure, he sounds like a real fanboy, waxing rhapsodic about making friends on the tour, copping ideas off of his favorite supporting acts, and figuring out who he’d like to tour with next.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to watch these bands for free,” he said. “Obviously, we’re all on the same festival circuit, and I’ve got an all-access pass around my neck. I think it’s really cool to slip out and see what the other bands are doing.”

Whether Hook’s quality-and-performance demeanor is a result of operating in the high-profit, hyper-competitive Los Angeles hard rock scene, or simply an expression of Five Finger Death Punch’s no-nonsense metallic groove, he’s not ashamed to make the comparison explicit. “We’re in the business of producing songs,” he says frankly. “And if you were in any other business — say, if you were trying to sell shoes — it wouldn’t be realistic to say, ‘We’re just going to make shoes from September through April, and for the whole summer we’re not even going to think about making shoes, and then we’ll get back to it.’ I like to keep in the headspace that if you’re a musician, your business is making songs, and if they like your songs, they’re always going to want more. So you keep stirring the pot.”

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