Five Finger Death Punch continues to lead the charge on their North American headlining campaign. Flanked by Marilyn Manson, the slyrocketing Slaughter to Prevail and opening collective The Funeral Portrait, the run has been met with capacity crowds in arenas across the country, marking one of the most successful outings of the season.
The band is out in support of the digital deluxe edition of their ninth studio album, AfterLife, which landed earlier this spring. This edition, produced with Kevin Churko, touted four added tracks bolstering the original juggernaut - among those new offerings includes "This Is The Way," the collaboration featuring the late DMX.
The run finds FFDP hitting their performative stride, fresh off their European tour this last spring, including selected dates with Metallica on their "M72" world tour and headlining shows featuring special guest Ice Nine Kills. The band is also gelling well with Andy James as the band's new guitarist, marking a new chapter for FFDP.
For the Southern California stop of the trek, FFDP proved commanding as they held court at Honda Center in Anaheim. Among the band's highlights on the night, the essential hits like "Jekyll and Hyde", "Wrong Side of Heaven" and "Wash It All Away" scored big, shaking each tier of the arena.
Maybe it wasn't the intent, but the band would assert their lengthy tenure as one of the top bands in their space in the way they configured their setlist. FFDP would begin with "Welcome to The Circus" from their latest record, Afterlife, asserting their enduring relevance fast approaching two decades. The band would then close with "The Bleeding" from their debut album, The Way of the Fist - endearing themselves even further to their most loyal followers, while emphasizing just how long FFDP has been commanding arenas.
Slaughter to Prevail would affirm just why they are among heavy music's most intriguing new contributors. Newer entries like "Kid of Darkness" and "Viking" hit with the kind of impact that is tough to achieve in an arena setting. Finishing strong with "Baba Yaga", Alex Terrible and the wrecking crew of Slaughter to Prevail more than substantiated their hype with the kind of short but sweet set that stole the show.
Check the gallery of images captured by Maurice Nunez from the Southern California stop of the Five Finger Death Punch tour below. See the remaining dates following the gallery.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL
THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT
Sep. 11 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheatre
Sep. 13 - Durant, OK - Choctaw Grand Theater
Sep. 15 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
Sep. 16 - Biloxi, MS - Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Sep. 18 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sep. 19 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion