Hailed by the New York Times as one of the most consistently popular bands on the rock charts, Five Finger Death Punch has become a heavyweight champ in music. But the band’s cofounder and drummer, Jeremy Spencer, did not have an easy ride to the top. Now, in DEATH PUNCH’D: Surviving Five Finger Death Punch’s Metal Mayhem (It Books; September 2, 2014; Hardcover; $26.99), Spencer opens up about how a mischievous boy rose from small-town Indiana to one of the decade’s top-selling bands globally—and how he nearly destroyed it all for a good time.
“The day I left treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, I decided to write my story,” says Spencer. “I was feeling raw and exposed and hoped just ‘getting it all out’ would be therapeutic. And, it was. Sitting on a tour bus with little to do, I found myself writing two or three thousand words a day. It didn’t occur to me until I’d written fifty or sixty thousand that my story might be helpful to others who need encouragement in pursuing their dreams and for those struggling with addiction. I sent that first draft to my dad who said, ‘No parent wants to read about his son’s sex, drugs and Rock ‘n Roll exploits,’ but he said there might be some benefit in sharing it with others, so he agreed to help me with revisions. That led to my management company reading it, sending it to an agent at William Morris Endeavor, who then sold it to It Books, HarperCollins Publishers. What began as a way to help process my own ‘stuff,’ resulted in the publication of Death Punch’d—Surviving Five Finger Death Punch’s Metal Mayhem.” Jeremy is currently in conversation to partner with an organization of addiction recovery specialists and is planning to donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to benefit others struggling with addiction.
A detailed, in-depth account of the group’s origins and influences, as well as the infighting and tensions that, when channeled properly, result in the music fans love, DEATH PUNCH’D takes us onstage and behind the scenes, on tour and into the studio to tell the band’s story and his own story of remarkable perseverance and recovery. Told in Spencer’s unique, self-deprecating voice, filled with his twisted and humorous take on living the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll dream-turned-nightmare, DEATH PUNCH’D is a lively, no-holds-barred ride and an inspiring cautionary tale that offers lessons for us all. Watch the trailer here: http://bit.ly/1tLG164