Australia's Heavy magazine recently conducted an interview with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook. You can listen to the entire chat via the Spreaker widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On what FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has been up to of late: Jason: "We've been recently getting back out playing a couple of festival shows, here and there, and we're about to start touring a lot more, actually. Obviously, our new album comes out May 18, 'And Justice For None', so we're excited to finally get that out after about a year or so delay. [Laughs] It took forever to get it released just because we had to deal with some legal tangles with our record label [Prospect Park], but once we got them ironed out, then we were free to put the record out. We're gearing up for that and just doing shows and getting ready pretty much to start touring for the rest of the year. It's kind of what we're doing. We've been rehearsing and playing shows here and there." On whether FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was frustrated not being able to release "And Justice For None" when they wanted to: Jason: "It's really frustrating. We're used to just making records and then they come out then we go on tour. But, obviously, this time, it didn't work out that way. We got into a dispute with our label. There was a lot of stressful time and energy and money wasted and, basically, it was pretty unnecessary in my opinion. But that's how it goes sometimes, but now that it's resolved and we're free to put it out, we're excited for fans to hear it. We've been living with it for a long time. It's not even fresh for us anymore, but everyone else is super excited to hear it. [Laughs] I dig the record, I think it's strong, but it's, like, we're so ready to share it and have been for so long that it's almost like we're ready for something else already. [Laughs]" On the lyrical approach for "And Justice For None": Jason: "Well, certainly Ivan [Moody, vocals] is writing what he feels at any given time — whether he's happy or sad, you're definitely going to know about it. He doesn't hold back. I think that's one of his strengths — just to speak his mind and not care what anyone thinks. He's always been that guy. He's just sharing what he's dealing with in his life at the time. You can definitely feel and hear it in the lyrics, for sure." On the band's reaction to when they read and hear Moody's lyrics for a new album: Jason: "Usually one of us is in the studio when he's recording, so, he's bouncing them off of us and we're kind of hearing them go down. Certainly nothing is surprising anymore coming from him. This is the seventh album. I've heard a lot of stuff that he's gone through here and there. I just think he delivers it really well. I'm always excited to see what he's going to say." On how FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH landed on the "And Justice For None" album title: Jason: "That was an Ivan idea. Since we just had this long lawsuit with our record label, it was a really unnecessary money-draining, time-consuming, energy-draining process, and at the end of it, it didn't seem like anyone had won, so justice wasn't served to anyone. So that's kind of how the title came about, 'And Justice For None'." Due on May 18, "And Justice For None" is available for pre-order in the following formats: standard physical CD (13 tracks), deluxe physical CD (13 tracks + 3 bonus tracks + deluxe artwork), vinyl (13 tracks + 3 bonus tracks + deluxe gatefold artwork). The band is also offering fans a variety of new CD/merchandise bundles. In May 2016, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH announced it had signed a new North American recording deal with the BMG-owned rock label Rise Records. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will hit a handful of festivals and play around a dozen dates with SHINEDOWN this spring. The band will then kick off a co-headlining run with BREAKING BENJAMIN on July 16 in Seattle.
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