New FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Bassist Talks About His Audition

Amy Harris recently conducted an interview with guitarist Zoltan Bathory and bassist Chris Kael of Las Vegas, Nevada-based metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Amy Harris: [Speaking to Chris] How did you come about being in the band?

Zoltan: Tell her the story of how you ended up in Vegas. His car broke down while he was heading to L.A.

Chris: I got to Vegas about ten years ago, went out there to pursue music, did things for quite a while. I heard they were looking for a bassist through friends of theirs. My old friend from high school is actually their drum tech, Saul. He has been working for those guys for a little bit now. I heard they were looking so I kept telling Saul, "Get me an audition, do what you can." So finally, I had been trying and hadn't heard anything, went to go see SYSTEM OF A DOWN at the Palms and was watching those guys on the stage and turned around and looked at the stage and it hit me, "If you want it, go after it." So that night I went home and Facebooked Jason Hook, a real brief message, "I'm your guy. Call me. All I need is an audition." He messaged me back the next day and asked, "How are your vocals?" Other projects I had done before I did lead vocals so I sent him a track from something I had written and was singing on as well. I guess they liked it because I was invited to do the audition. I came in that Saturday.

Zoltan: It's an interesting thing because when he showed up, it was kind of the audition with the friends of friends, people that we kind of knew. Because you never know what you're gonna get. You get the crazy person and have to live with him. It's not just a musical thing that has to click but personally. He walks in, and he is a laid-back guy and when I saw his Muay Thai T-shirt, he is a fighter, too. . . When he walks in, it takes balls to get in the ring. It takes balls. Whoever says otherwise, it is you and the other guy and there is no way out unless you die. So he walks in as a laid-back guy and I see the shirt and I ask him, "Do you fight?" He says, "Yeah, yeah." It's a hobby on the road touring.

Chris: So he got a workout partner.

Zoltan: You have to have a laid back guy that you can live with on the bus for 300 days a year. I want some guy who is chilled, nice to people.

Chris: Boy, did I have him fooled.

Zoltan: No, he sounds awesome. I loved his bass tone. Ivan [Moody, vocals] wasn't there and we called him, "We got the guy. We got the guy." That night we went to dinner with Ivan, and Ivan loved him, too. It was done.

Chris: It was one of those things, it was a good proposition. During the audition, very first song, I felt it. I'm sure they felt it as well. Very first song, right into the chorus.

Amy Harris: You just knew.

Chris: Him and Jeremy [ Spencer, drums] during the first chorus.

Zoltan: It's really interesting, musicians know. Some people who are not musicians may not, you have to have connections. It is how bands survive. It is not necessarily about success, not necessarily about music. The first and foremost issue with bands on why they break up is personal, it's always personal issues. So the bands that never have success and fall out are either about substance abuse issues or personal issues amongst members. So, half of the success is keeping your fucking band together. Therefore, you have to have the right member. He was the right guy.

Read the entire interview from Amy Harris.