WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.180 So, um, I want you to mentally travel back to 00:00:03.180 --> 00:00:06.299 2015 for just a second. Oh, wow. Yeah, that is 00:00:06.299 --> 00:00:08.839 a very specific era. Right. Think about where 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:11.320 the music industry actually was at that point. 00:00:11.339 --> 00:00:14.560 It was in this... incredibly weird transitional 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:18.320 limbo. Absolutely. Spotify and Apple Music were 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:21.100 really starting to just dig their claws in. But 00:00:21.100 --> 00:00:23.379 physical sales. They were falling off a cliff. 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:27.500 Exactly. CDs, vinyl. They were just tanking. 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.079 And the narrative in, you know, basically every 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:32.259 major publication at the time was that. The album 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:34.500 format is dead. Yeah, that rock was on life support. 00:00:34.659 --> 00:00:36.560 Right. Nobody buys music anymore. That was the 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:38.780 headline everywhere. It was definitely the year 00:00:38.780 --> 00:00:41.439 of the, well, the pivot to video and obviously 00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:45.439 the pivot to screaming. If you weren't a massive 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:48.899 pop star like Taylor Swift or Adele, the industry 00:00:48.899 --> 00:00:50.939 expectation was just that you wouldn't move physical 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:53.560 units. Right. The smart money was entirely betting 00:00:53.560 --> 00:00:56.200 against the traditional album release. It really 00:00:56.200 --> 00:00:59.210 was. And yet, right in the middle of this massive 00:00:59.210 --> 00:01:01.969 digital revolution, you have this groove metal 00:01:01.969 --> 00:01:04.909 juggernaut five -fingered death punch. Yeah. 00:01:05.049 --> 00:01:08.230 Deciding to drop their sixth studio album. Got 00:01:08.230 --> 00:01:11.250 your six. Got your six, exactly. And the reason 00:01:11.250 --> 00:01:13.530 we are doing a deep dive on this specific record 00:01:13.530 --> 00:01:15.709 today isn't just because, you know, it has heavy 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:18.269 riffs. It definitely has those. Ah, yeah, it 00:01:18.269 --> 00:01:20.790 does. But it's because this album was just a 00:01:20.790 --> 00:01:23.760 complete... business anomaly it's a fascinating 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:26.739 case study it really is this story of contrarian 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:29.920 success yeah because while everyone else was 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:31.920 chasing those streaming fractions of a penny 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:35.780 right this band was actively mobilizing an army 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:39.180 of fans to physically go to retail stores which 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.799 is wild so for you listening we have a massive 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:44.719 stack of sources today we're looking at billboard 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:49.120 chart history riaa certifications uh tour manifest 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:51.750 from the era and critical reviews from the time. 00:01:51.890 --> 00:01:54.609 All the raw data. Yeah, all of it. And our mission 00:01:54.609 --> 00:01:56.810 today is to unpack exactly how a heavy metal 00:01:56.810 --> 00:01:59.590 band in the mid -2010s managed to move units 00:01:59.590 --> 00:02:02.049 like they were a pop act in the late 90s. It 00:02:02.049 --> 00:02:03.930 really shouldn't have been possible. How did 00:02:03.930 --> 00:02:06.510 they convince over 100 ,000 people to literally 00:02:06.510 --> 00:02:09.330 open their wallets in week one? It comes down 00:02:09.330 --> 00:02:12.129 to hitting a peak in efficiency and honestly, 00:02:12.250 --> 00:02:14.729 just a raw connection with their audience. Yeah. 00:02:14.930 --> 00:02:18.830 It's about understanding your customer so much 00:02:18.830 --> 00:02:21.159 better than the industry consultants do. Okay, 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:24.379 so let's dive in. Got Your Six. Just the title 00:02:24.379 --> 00:02:26.879 alone sets a very specific tone, doesn't it? 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.680 It really does. I mean, it's military shorthand. 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:31.699 Right. If you've seen any war movie or played 00:02:31.699 --> 00:02:34.460 a shooter game, you know the phrase, I've got 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:37.199 your six, means I've got your back. Referring 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:39.639 to the six o 'clock position. Exactly. Directly 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:41.539 behind you, the blind spot where you can't see. 00:02:41.699 --> 00:02:45.580 So it implies this deep loyalty, protection. 00:02:46.460 --> 00:02:48.599 Like a brotherhood. Precisely. And for a band 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:51.020 like Five Finger Death Punch, they have always 00:02:51.020 --> 00:02:53.419 leaned really heavily into military support. 00:02:53.699 --> 00:02:56.000 Oh, heavily. And that sort of rugged aesthetic. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:58.219 So this wasn't just a cool sounding name for 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:00.740 a record. It was a branding promise. A promise 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:03.620 to the fans. Yeah. A signal to their core demographic 00:03:03.620 --> 00:03:06.259 that the band was still firmly in their corner. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:08.599 Let's look at the actual launch. The album officially 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:12.520 dropped on September 4, 2015. Released by Prospect 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:15.080 Park. Right. But looking at the release history 00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:17.639 and the source data here, it wasn't exactly a 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:20.620 straight shot to that date, was it? No. There 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.780 was a little bit of volatility, which, you know, 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:26.599 is common in the music business, but it always 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:28.819 makes fans a little nervous. For sure. Originally, 00:03:28.819 --> 00:03:30.539 the fan base was told to mark their calendars 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:33.979 for August 28th. Okay. Then, back in May of that 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:36.740 year, they dropped the artwork and confirmed 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:39.639 that date, only to eventually push it back a 00:03:39.639 --> 00:03:43.280 week. To September 4th. Right. And I guess in 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:45.060 the grand scheme of things, a one week delay 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:48.060 is nothing. It's a blip. But in the social media 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:50.599 era, people start whispering immediately like, 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:52.819 is it finished? Is there a legal issue? Right. 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:54.979 The rumor mill starts turning. But honestly. 00:03:55.550 --> 00:03:58.310 When it finally did drop. A number silenced everyone. 00:03:58.669 --> 00:04:01.129 Immediately. Any doubts were completely gone. 00:04:01.229 --> 00:04:02.629 Let's talk about those numbers because they are 00:04:02.629 --> 00:04:04.770 staggering. I'm looking at the Billboard 200 00:04:04.770 --> 00:04:07.849 debut right here. It hit number two. Which, to 00:04:07.849 --> 00:04:09.729 be fair to them, was becoming a bit of a tradition. 00:04:09.889 --> 00:04:12.189 Yeah. Yeah, this was actually their third consecutive 00:04:12.189 --> 00:04:15.129 album to debut at number two on that chart. They 00:04:15.129 --> 00:04:16.910 were kind of the perennial bridesmaids of the 00:04:16.910 --> 00:04:19.529 Billboard chart. Always huge, but always blocked 00:04:19.529 --> 00:04:22.990 from that absolute top spot by some. massive 00:04:22.990 --> 00:04:25.550 pop cultural event that week. Always a bridesmaid, 00:04:25.569 --> 00:04:28.269 right. But the chart position kind of hides the 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:30.410 real story here. It really does. Because number 00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:33.449 two is relative. You can be number two with 20 00:04:33.449 --> 00:04:35.569 ,000 sales if it's a slow week for releases. 00:04:36.009 --> 00:04:38.209 Correct. The sheer volume is what we really need 00:04:38.209 --> 00:04:40.350 to focus on. Let's hear it. In its very first 00:04:40.350 --> 00:04:44.649 week, Got Your Six moved 119 ,000 equivalent 00:04:44.649 --> 00:04:48.329 album units. Okay, let's pause right there. We 00:04:48.329 --> 00:04:50.949 need to distinguish between units and sales because 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:54.860 2015 is right when this metric gets really confusing 00:04:54.860 --> 00:04:57.399 for people. It is the defining transition era 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:01.399 for chart math. So equivalent units blends streaming 00:05:01.399 --> 00:05:04.199 numbers with actual sales. Right. But the source 00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:06.939 data here highlights a specific, much more impressive 00:05:06.939 --> 00:05:10.180 number. Okay. 114 ,000. That's the pure sales. 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:13.000 Yes. That is the number of pure album sale. Meaning 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:16.259 tangible transactions. So someone actually drove 00:05:16.259 --> 00:05:19.620 to a Best Buy and bought the physical CD, or 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:22.360 they logged into iTunes and paid $12 for the 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:26.720 digital download. Exactly. 114 ,000 individual 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:29.879 people paid full price for this record. Which 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.860 is crazy for 2015. That distinction is crucial. 00:05:33.750 --> 00:05:37.430 Because in 2015, that consumer behavior was evaporating 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:39.769 across the board. Right. In fact, if you strip 00:05:39.769 --> 00:05:41.490 away the streaming numbers from everyone else 00:05:41.490 --> 00:05:44.209 on the chart that specific week, your six was 00:05:44.209 --> 00:05:45.870 actually the number one selling album in the 00:05:45.870 --> 00:05:48.550 country. That is just staggering. So they were 00:05:48.550 --> 00:05:51.310 fundamentally beating the mainstream pop acts 00:05:51.310 --> 00:05:53.750 in terms of getting people to spend hard cash. 00:05:53.949 --> 00:05:56.410 They were. It implies a fan base that isn't just 00:05:56.410 --> 00:05:59.350 passively listening on a generic rock playlist 00:05:59.350 --> 00:06:01.490 while they do the dishes. No, they want to own 00:06:01.490 --> 00:06:03.410 it. They want the physical artifact. They want 00:06:03.410 --> 00:06:05.490 to hold it. And for the band themselves, this 00:06:05.490 --> 00:06:08.629 was a personal best. It was. Their previous record, 00:06:08.850 --> 00:06:10.790 The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side 00:06:10.790 --> 00:06:13.569 of Hell, Volume 1. Long title. Very long title. 00:06:13.870 --> 00:06:17.970 That one had moved 112 ,000 copies in its first 00:06:17.970 --> 00:06:21.149 week. So Got Your 6 actually edged past that. 00:06:21.250 --> 00:06:24.050 Think about how rare that trajectory is. It's 00:06:24.050 --> 00:06:27.089 incredibly rare. Usually a rock band explodes 00:06:27.089 --> 00:06:29.269 on their first or maybe their second album. Right, 00:06:29.350 --> 00:06:31.509 the sophomore peak. And then they just manage 00:06:31.509 --> 00:06:34.689 this slow, graceful decline for the next 10 years. 00:06:34.870 --> 00:06:37.769 But these guys were six albums deep into their 00:06:37.769 --> 00:06:40.050 career. Six albums. And they were still growing 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:42.350 their opening week sales. It just speaks to incredible 00:06:42.350 --> 00:06:45.230 momentum. They clearly hadn't peaked yet. They 00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:48.360 had spent years building this machine. 2015, 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.319 it was just firing on all cylinders. OK, so the 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:53.959 sales numbers were brutal in a good way. Very 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:55.939 good way. But let's talk about the sound of the 00:06:55.939 --> 00:06:58.459 record itself. The sources we have categorize 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:01.920 this music as groove metal, alternative metal 00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:05.079 and hard rock. A mix of those. Yes. Are you listening 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:07.220 who maybe hasn't heard the specific album? What 00:07:07.220 --> 00:07:09.079 are we actually dealing with here sonically? 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:11.240 I would say groove metal is probably the most 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:13.920 accurate technical term to use. How would you 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:16.480 define that? Think of it as kind of the child 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:20.120 of thrash metal. Like early Pantera. Okay. You 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.180 take the sheer aggression and the heaviness of 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:26.060 thrash, but you slow the tempo down. Just enough 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:29.000 to give it a rhythmic bounce. A groove. Exactly, 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.040 a groove. It's music that is fundamentally designed 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:34.680 to make you nod your head to the beat, not just 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:37.439 run around in a circle pit at high speed. And 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:39.420 the production on this record is very specific. 00:07:39.540 --> 00:07:42.079 It was produced by Kevin Cherko, working alongside 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:46.079 the band. Yes. Cherko is a massive key figure 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:48.420 in their entire history. He really shaped their 00:07:48.420 --> 00:07:51.379 sound. He's honestly like the Max Martin of modern 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:54.000 metal. That is a great comparison. He helps them 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.139 get that incredible... incredibly polished, punchy 00:07:56.139 --> 00:07:59.220 production style that works so flawlessly on 00:07:59.220 --> 00:08:01.860 American rock radio. The kick drum just hits 00:08:01.860 --> 00:08:04.019 you in the chest. Every drum hit sounds like 00:08:04.019 --> 00:08:06.500 a literal cannon. The guitars are perfectly crisp. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.220 It's high fidelity metal. Which, let's be honest, 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:12.220 some metal purists absolutely hate. Oh, without 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:14.459 a doubt. They say it sounds too clean, too digital. 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:16.660 Yes, there is a vocal segment of the underground 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:19.060 metal community that thinks it sounds sterile 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:21.180 or overproduced. But again, look at the sales. 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:24.319 The numbers completely argue that the silent 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:27.040 majority of listeners absolutely loves it. I 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:29.759 actually found this quote in our sources from 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:31.959 Jeremy Spencer, who was their drummer at the 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:34.460 time. Oh, what did he say? It's really illuminating 00:08:34.460 --> 00:08:36.879 regarding their mindset going into the studio 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:40.059 for this one. He described the album as, quote, 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:44.460 More brutal with more extreme dynamics. That 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:47.220 word right there, dynamics, is key to this record. 00:08:47.379 --> 00:08:49.559 Yeah, he went on to say it has really mellow 00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:52.519 parts and then some really brutal parts and that 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:55.440 it runs a whole gamut of sounds. Which is vital. 00:08:55.620 --> 00:08:57.539 It's so interesting because when people think 00:08:57.539 --> 00:08:59.320 of Five Finger Death Punch, they usually just 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:01.700 think of pure, unadulterated aggression. Wall 00:09:01.700 --> 00:09:04.139 of sound. Right. But Spencer is specifically 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:07.039 highlighting the contrast here. And that contrast 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:10.639 is exactly what allows a band to sustain a listener's 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:13.159 interest over an entire project. How do you mean? 00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:16.419 Well, if it's just 100 % pure aggression for 00:09:16.419 --> 00:09:18.759 an hour straight, it just becomes white noise. 00:09:19.059 --> 00:09:21.700 Yet you're fatigued. It's exhausting. But if 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:24.179 you deliberately program in those mellow dips, 00:09:24.460 --> 00:09:27.460 the heavy parts actually hit so much harder when 00:09:27.460 --> 00:09:30.320 they come back. It's tension and release. Exactly. 00:09:30.419 --> 00:09:33.860 It's the classic loud, quiet, loud dynamic, but 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:37.580 fully weaponized for massive arenas. Speaking 00:09:37.580 --> 00:09:39.919 of sustaining interest, there is one statistic 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:42.100 about the album itself that really caught me 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:44.799 off guard. The runtime. The runtime. It is so 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:47.460 short. It is remarkably tight. The standard edition 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:50.720 of Got Your Six Clocks in at exactly 38 minutes 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:53.460 and 23 seconds. Which makes it the shortest five 00:09:53.460 --> 00:09:56.279 -finger death punch album to date. Do you think 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:58.919 that was a strategic move? I do. Because right 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:01.139 around this time in the age of streaming, the 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:03.299 trend was usually to stuff an album with like 00:10:03.299 --> 00:10:06.419 20 plus tracks just to game the algorithm and 00:10:06.419 --> 00:10:08.620 get more total plays. The Drake model. Right. 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:11.600 But this is so tight. Keep in mind, in 2015, 00:10:11.860 --> 00:10:14.639 we were just right on the cusp of that content 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:17.279 stuffing era taking over. So the pressure from 00:10:17.279 --> 00:10:19.360 the labels wasn't fully there just yet. That 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:21.379 makes sense. But more importantly, I think for 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:24.399 a band playing this specific genre, brevity works 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:27.120 hugely in their favor. Leave them wanting more. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:30.399 It's the classic all killer, no filler approach. 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:33.179 Just get in, punch the listener in the face with 00:10:33.179 --> 00:10:36.580 a huge riff and get out. Pretty much. Yeah. Because 00:10:36.580 --> 00:10:40.000 high energy groove metal is intense. Asking a 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.799 casual listener to commit to a 70 minute opus 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:45.940 is a really big ask. Definitely. But 38 minutes. 00:10:46.570 --> 00:10:48.470 You can listen to the whole thing on a decent 00:10:48.470 --> 00:10:50.889 drive home from work. Or a workout. Exactly. 00:10:50.909 --> 00:10:52.950 You can listen to it during a single session 00:10:52.950 --> 00:10:55.809 at the gym. It is perfectly digestible. And that 00:10:55.809 --> 00:10:58.490 digestibility probably helped drive those repeat 00:10:58.490 --> 00:11:01.179 listens we see in the streaming data. You aren't 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:03.340 checking your watch at track 14 wondering when 00:11:03.340 --> 00:11:05.419 the album is finally going to end. Right. It 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:07.980 leaves you energized rather than feeling fatigued 00:11:07.980 --> 00:11:10.779 by the end. Now, a big part of that 38 minutes 00:11:10.779 --> 00:11:13.299 was completely dominated by singles. Oh, absolutely. 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:15.659 You can't have a hit album without hit songs, 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:17.980 and the rollout campaign for Got Your 6 just 00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:20.080 seemed relentless. It was a masterfully structured 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:24.809 campaign. Prospect Park, their label. knew exactly 00:11:24.809 --> 00:11:26.710 what they were doing here. It started way before 00:11:26.710 --> 00:11:28.570 the album dropped, didn't it? Yeah, it started 00:11:28.570 --> 00:11:32.350 back in June of 2015, a full three months before 00:11:32.350 --> 00:11:35.210 the album release, with the track Jekyll and 00:11:35.210 --> 00:11:37.990 Hyde. Which is such a massive track for them, 00:11:38.009 --> 00:11:40.490 but honestly, it's kind of a weird song. It is 00:11:40.490 --> 00:11:43.049 a very weird song. The verses have this strange, 00:11:43.250 --> 00:11:46.710 almost spoken word, rhythmic... mumbling thing 00:11:46.710 --> 00:11:48.870 that Ivan Moody does. Yeah, it's not traditionally 00:11:48.870 --> 00:11:51.610 melodic at all during those verses. It's quirky. 00:11:51.789 --> 00:11:54.409 Right. And then it just violently explodes into 00:11:54.409 --> 00:11:57.149 this massive anthemic arena chorus. And clearly 00:11:57.149 --> 00:11:59.809 it worked. That single peaked at number three 00:11:59.809 --> 00:12:02.230 on the U .S. mainstream rock charts. Set the 00:12:02.230 --> 00:12:04.870 stage perfectly. So primed the pump. But then 00:12:04.870 --> 00:12:07.129 they followed it up in October just after the 00:12:07.129 --> 00:12:09.929 album was out with Wash It All Away. And that 00:12:09.929 --> 00:12:11.809 one went all the way to the top number one on 00:12:11.809 --> 00:12:14.029 the U .S. Main Street rock charts. I feel like 00:12:14.029 --> 00:12:16.769 that song is really the definitive five finger 00:12:16.769 --> 00:12:19.889 death punch track of this specific era. I agree 00:12:19.889 --> 00:12:22.389 with that. It's got that moody atmospheric intro, 00:12:22.490 --> 00:12:25.529 the crushing heavy breakdown and this huge sing 00:12:25.529 --> 00:12:28.590 along chorus. It ticks every single box for active 00:12:28.590 --> 00:12:30.710 rock radio. So you have a top three hit and then 00:12:30.710 --> 00:12:32.889 a number one hit. And they still didn't stop 00:12:32.889 --> 00:12:36.389 there. No, they kept going. In February 2016, 00:12:36.769 --> 00:12:40.629 they pushed my nemesis to radio. And then in 00:12:40.629 --> 00:12:42.990 July 2016, which is almost a full year after 00:12:42.990 --> 00:12:45.720 the album launched, they released... I apologize. 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:47.919 Which is interesting because that track was actually 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.039 featured on the deluxe edition of the album. 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:52.240 Oh, right. Which is another really smart sales 00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:54.320 tactic when you think about it. Completely. You 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:56.740 sell everyone the standard edition in September. 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.220 And then a year later. You have these extra tracks 00:12:59.220 --> 00:13:02.220 on the deluxe version to keep the cultural conversation 00:13:02.220 --> 00:13:05.200 going and maybe get your super fans to double 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:07.279 dip and buy it again. Right. Keeping the album 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:10.419 relevant in the press for a full 12 months is 00:13:10.419 --> 00:13:13.600 how you sustain those massive long -term sales 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:17.460 numbers. the classic radio rock model just executed 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:19.799 to absolute perfection. You just keep feeding 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:22.360 the beast. You have to. I actually want to circle 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:24.740 back to Jekyll and Hyde for just a second. Okay. 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:26.940 Because there is a detail in the physical track 00:13:26.940 --> 00:13:29.279 listing of the album that I just love. Oh, the 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:32.039 hidden track. Yes. On the physical CD editions, 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:35.019 there's a hidden track right at the very end. 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:39.379 Track 15. Track 15 is listed as Jekyll and Hyde. 00:13:39.690 --> 00:13:42.490 Voicemail. It is such a fascinating inclusion. 00:13:42.750 --> 00:13:44.889 For anyone listening who hasn't heard it, it 00:13:44.889 --> 00:13:47.889 is quite literally a voicemail recording, right, 00:13:47.970 --> 00:13:50.850 Lee? What is the actual story behind that? It 00:13:50.850 --> 00:13:53.049 peels back the curtain on their songwriting process 00:13:53.049 --> 00:13:56.269 in a really fun way. Yeah. It is an actual literal 00:13:56.269 --> 00:14:00.830 voicemail that the singer, Ivan Moody, left for 00:14:00.830 --> 00:14:03.750 the guitarist, Jason Hook, at something like 00:14:03.750 --> 00:14:06.620 three in the morning. It's not a polished demo 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:10.399 at all. It is just this raw, spontaneous idea. 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:12.899 It's literally just Ivan humming the melody and 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:14.720 mumbling the rhythm into his phone in the middle 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:16.539 of the night. And that became the lead single. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:18.860 Why do you think they decided to include that 00:14:18.860 --> 00:14:21.679 raw audio on the final retail album? Why break 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:23.860 the fourth wall like that? I think it accomplishes 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:26.419 two distinct things. One, it explicitly rewards 00:14:26.419 --> 00:14:28.799 the superfans. People who actually went out, 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:31.379 bought the physical CD, and let it keep playing 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:33.299 in their stereo past the official end. Like a 00:14:33.299 --> 00:14:35.480 Marvel post -credits scene. Exactly. It's a fun 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:37.980 Easter egg. And two, it adds this incredible 00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:40.620 layer of personality to the band. It really humanizes 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:44.110 them. It makes them feel like real regular guys, 00:14:44.269 --> 00:14:46.710 not just these untouchable rock stars standing 00:14:46.710 --> 00:14:50.350 on a pedestal. Here is this messy, late night, 00:14:50.429 --> 00:14:52.830 groggy voice note that eventually turned into 00:14:52.830 --> 00:14:54.970 the massive polished hit you just heard on the 00:14:54.970 --> 00:14:57.149 radio. It shows a sense of humor, right? And 00:14:57.149 --> 00:14:59.389 a total lack of pretension. It basically tells 00:14:59.389 --> 00:15:02.350 the fans, we take the music very seriously, but 00:15:02.350 --> 00:15:04.429 we don't take ourselves too seriously. I love 00:15:04.429 --> 00:15:06.549 that. So we have the radio hits, we have the 00:15:06.549 --> 00:15:09.509 record -breaking sales, but rock music really... 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:13.000 Lives and dies on the road. Always. Let's look 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:15.299 at the actual personnel who are out there bringing 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:18.539 this album to life on stage every night. This 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:21.159 era was arguably their classic lineup, wouldn't 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:23.440 you say? For a huge portion of the fan base, 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:26.279 absolutely yes. So who do we have? You had Ivan 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:28.740 Moody handling vocals, obviously bringing that 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:31.559 chaotic, unpredictable frontman energy. Right. 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:35.480 Zoltan Bathory on rhythm guitar. He is the founder, 00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:37.840 the martial artist, and really the core business 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:42.269 brain behind the band. Exactly. Then Jason Hook 00:15:42.269 --> 00:15:45.990 on lead guitar, who brought a ton of that polished 00:15:45.990 --> 00:15:48.429 hit making songwriting structure we talked about. 00:15:48.590 --> 00:15:51.289 He's the secret weapon. He really is. Yeah. Then 00:15:51.289 --> 00:15:54.149 Chris Cale on bass. He's the guy with a massive 00:15:54.149 --> 00:15:56.529 dreadlock beard providing those heavy backing 00:15:56.529 --> 00:15:58.909 vocals. Yep. And Jeremy Spencer holding it all 00:15:58.909 --> 00:16:02.110 together on drums. Now, this specific five -man 00:16:02.110 --> 00:16:04.830 unit had been working together for a few albums 00:16:04.830 --> 00:16:07.049 by this point. They have. The chemistry on stage 00:16:07.049 --> 00:16:09.909 must have been undeniable. They were just a completely 00:16:09.909 --> 00:16:13.350 well -oiled machine by 2015. And to promote Got 00:16:13.350 --> 00:16:15.889 Your Six, they didn't just book a few standard 00:16:15.889 --> 00:16:19.090 club shows. No. They put together a massive arena 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:21.470 -level tour package. Looking at the routing, 00:16:21.610 --> 00:16:23.990 they announced a co -headlining North American 00:16:23.990 --> 00:16:26.830 tour. And the partner they chose to co -headline 00:16:26.830 --> 00:16:30.179 with was incredibly smart. Papa Roach. Yes, Papa 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:32.700 Roach. That is just a staggering amount of radio 00:16:32.700 --> 00:16:35.009 hits crammed into one single night. It's brilliant 00:16:35.009 --> 00:16:36.830 packaging from a business perspective because 00:16:36.830 --> 00:16:39.429 Papa Roach brings a slightly different, perhaps 00:16:39.429 --> 00:16:42.769 more mainstream alternative rock crowd. A bit 00:16:42.769 --> 00:16:45.250 more of that late 90s new metal nostalgia, too. 00:16:45.470 --> 00:16:48.769 Exactly. While Death Punch brings the aggressively 00:16:48.769 --> 00:16:52.090 heavier modern metal crowd, obviously there is 00:16:52.090 --> 00:16:54.389 some overlap there. But combining the two really 00:16:54.389 --> 00:16:56.450 maximizes the potential audience. It creates 00:16:56.450 --> 00:16:59.029 a massive value proposition for the ticket buyer. 00:16:59.210 --> 00:17:01.669 Right. You aren't just paying 50 bucks to see 00:17:01.669 --> 00:17:05.029 one big band. You're seeing two absolute heavyweights 00:17:05.029 --> 00:17:07.089 of the genre. And they certainly didn't skimp 00:17:07.089 --> 00:17:09.890 on the support acts either. Not at all. They 00:17:09.890 --> 00:17:12.589 brought out In This Moment as special guests. 00:17:12.769 --> 00:17:16.029 Oh, wow. And they had From Ashes to New opening 00:17:16.029 --> 00:17:18.539 the night. to provide support. See, in this moment 00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:20.880 is huge. They create this massive theatrical 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:23.180 spectacle. Maria Brink has the backup dancers, 00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:26.000 the elaborate costume changes. It's a full visual 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.680 show. It's very cinematic. And then from ashes 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:31.859 to new brings that high energy, modern rap rock 00:17:31.859 --> 00:17:34.720 vibe to get the crowd moving early. That is just 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:37.480 a ridiculously stacked bill from top to bottom. 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:40.259 It fundamentally creates an event rather than 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:42.670 just a concert. You aren't just going out to 00:17:42.670 --> 00:17:45.150 see a band on a Tuesday night. You are basically 00:17:45.150 --> 00:17:48.150 going to an indoor festival in an arena. And 00:17:48.150 --> 00:17:50.490 that drives ticket sales. Which directly feeds 00:17:50.490 --> 00:17:52.809 right back into the physical album sales we were 00:17:52.809 --> 00:17:55.410 talking about earlier. It is a perfectly designed 00:17:55.410 --> 00:17:59.269 symbiotic ecosystem. Okay, so clearly the fans 00:17:59.269 --> 00:18:01.690 absolutely loved it. The tour sales and the chart 00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:04.329 numbers objectively prove that. But what about 00:18:04.329 --> 00:18:07.829 the critics? The critics. Because usually... 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:10.160 Heavy metal bands that sell this exceptionally 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.980 well get absolutely hammered by the music press. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.279 They do. Was Got Your 6 critical kryptonite, 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:17.299 or did they actually get some respect from the 00:18:17.299 --> 00:18:20.019 media? The reaction was actually quite mixed, 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:22.359 but they definitely commanded respect where it 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:24.279 counted. What were the major outlets saying? 00:18:24.680 --> 00:18:27.920 Well, you had the usual hard rock and metal sites, 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:29.880 places like Metal Hammer and Ultimate Guitar. 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:33.240 Sure. And all music gave a very fair, solid coverage. 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:36.460 But the review that really stands out came from 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:39.349 a surprising place. Where was that? The Guardian. 00:18:39.569 --> 00:18:42.809 The major UK newspaper. The very same. That seems 00:18:42.809 --> 00:18:45.529 really highbrow for a band that essentially sings 00:18:45.529 --> 00:18:48.089 about smashing things and drinking. It is. It's 00:18:48.089 --> 00:18:51.710 very highbrow. But The Guardian actually reviewed 00:18:51.710 --> 00:18:54.630 the record and explicitly described the album 00:18:54.630 --> 00:18:58.720 as focused and ferocious. Focused and ferocious. 00:18:58.900 --> 00:19:01.339 I mean, that is just a fantastic pull quote for 00:19:01.339 --> 00:19:03.940 a tour poster. It's perfect. And it validates 00:19:03.940 --> 00:19:06.299 that the strategic brevity of the album and the 00:19:06.299 --> 00:19:08.480 high -end production quality were actually working 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:11.099 on a critical level. Even for the snobs. Right. 00:19:11.470 --> 00:19:14.130 Even if the critic writing the piece isn't personally 00:19:14.130 --> 00:19:17.009 wearing a camo vest and a mosh pit, they had 00:19:17.009 --> 00:19:19.390 to objectively admit that the execution of the 00:19:19.390 --> 00:19:21.490 music was incredibly tight. Were there any end 00:19:21.490 --> 00:19:24.430 -of -year lists? Yes. Rock Sound actually included 00:19:24.430 --> 00:19:27.910 it in their top 50 releases of 2015. Nice. They 00:19:27.910 --> 00:19:30.029 placed it right at number 44. So they weren't 00:19:30.029 --> 00:19:32.049 just being completely dismissed by the media 00:19:32.049 --> 00:19:35.849 as dumb rock? Not entirely, no. Their sheer cultural 00:19:35.849 --> 00:19:37.849 footprint meant they were just too big to ignore. 00:19:38.190 --> 00:19:40.250 And this wasn't just an isolated American phenomenon 00:19:40.250 --> 00:19:42.549 either. We spent a lot of time talking about 00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:44.650 the Billboard 200 here in the States, but looking 00:19:44.650 --> 00:19:46.829 at the international charts in our notes, this 00:19:46.829 --> 00:19:49.230 thing truly went global. It really did. It was 00:19:49.230 --> 00:19:52.430 a worldwide moment. The album hit the top 10 00:19:52.430 --> 00:19:55.589 in a surprisingly long list of countries. Let's 00:19:55.589 --> 00:19:58.650 hear them. It hit the top 10 in Australia, Austria, 00:19:58.950 --> 00:20:01.769 Canada, Finland, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, 00:20:02.009 --> 00:20:04.900 and the UK. Top 10 in Finland and Sweden. Those 00:20:04.900 --> 00:20:07.720 are Scandinavian markets with notoriously high 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.079 standards for heavy metal. They are the gatekeepers 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:12.400 of metal. Yeah. And Germany too. Yelly. Yes. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:15.259 Germany is arguably the second most important 00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:17.640 market for heavy music in the entire world. Because 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:20.460 of the massive festivals. Exactly. They host 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:22.539 Wacken Open Air. They take their metal incredibly 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:24.880 seriously over there. And how did it do in Germany? 00:20:25.369 --> 00:20:28.809 It debuted at number five. Wow. For an American 00:20:28.809 --> 00:20:31.650 groove metal band to crack the top five in Germany, 00:20:31.750 --> 00:20:34.170 it just unequivocally shows that their underlying 00:20:34.170 --> 00:20:37.349 sound translates seamlessly across borders. It 00:20:37.349 --> 00:20:39.329 totally challenges the prevailing stereotype 00:20:39.329 --> 00:20:41.690 that Five Finger Death Punch is just this hyper 00:20:41.690 --> 00:20:45.089 niche red state American band. Exactly. Because 00:20:45.089 --> 00:20:47.170 the universal language of a really heavy guitar 00:20:47.170 --> 00:20:50.569 riff and a massive catchy chorus works in Berlin 00:20:50.569 --> 00:20:52.869 just as well as it works in Ohio. That's a great 00:20:52.869 --> 00:20:55.740 point. So let's talk about the long tail of this 00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:58.559 specific album. We obviously saw the massive 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:01.579 first week explosion in September 2015. Right. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:05.019 But did it just fade away into obscurity after 00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:08.059 that tour cycle ended? Not at all. The global 00:21:08.059 --> 00:21:09.920 certifications really tell the true story of 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:12.359 its longevity. What did it? Over the years, it 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:15.180 eventually went gold in Canada, Denmark, Germany, 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:18.160 and New Zealand. Consistent global sales. Yep. 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:20.720 It also achieved silver certification in the 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:24.150 UK. And what about back home in the U .S.? Because 00:21:24.150 --> 00:21:27.309 hitting platinum here is the holy grail for a 00:21:27.309 --> 00:21:29.089 rock band. This is the really big milestone. 00:21:29.549 --> 00:21:32.089 It was indeed eventually certified platinum by 00:21:32.089 --> 00:21:35.309 the RIAA. meaning one million equivalent units 00:21:35.309 --> 00:21:38.049 sold. But look at the specific date of that certification 00:21:38.049 --> 00:21:41.450 in our notes. Right. January 19, 2024. 2024. 00:21:41.589 --> 00:21:44.450 That is nearly nine full years after its initial 00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:47.150 release. It is a massive gap. That is just fascinating 00:21:47.150 --> 00:21:49.230 to me. So it just kept steadily selling, kept 00:21:49.230 --> 00:21:51.470 racking up streams and kept moving units quietly 00:21:51.470 --> 00:21:54.490 in the background for almost a decade to finally 00:21:54.490 --> 00:21:57.470 hit that one million mark. It completely proves 00:21:57.470 --> 00:22:00.410 that Got Your 6 wasn't just some flash -in -the 00:22:00.410 --> 00:22:02.349 -pan flavor of the month. Right. It actually 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:05.170 became a catalog staple. It means that brand 00:22:05.170 --> 00:22:07.789 new fans who were just discovering the band in, 00:22:07.849 --> 00:22:12.250 say, 2020 or 2023 were still actively going back 00:22:12.250 --> 00:22:14.710 and consuming this specific record from start 00:22:14.710 --> 00:22:17.529 to finish. It's almost like it became a foundational 00:22:17.529 --> 00:22:20.849 text for the mainstream metal genre of that specific 00:22:20.849 --> 00:22:24.130 decade. If you like modern metal at all, you 00:22:24.130 --> 00:22:26.910 are inevitably going to end up listening to Wash 00:22:26.910 --> 00:22:29.859 It All Away. Exactly. The strength of those massive 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:32.339 singles has kept the album alive on rock radio 00:22:32.339 --> 00:22:35.299 playlists for years, which continuously drives 00:22:35.299 --> 00:22:37.500 new people back to the full album. Right. It's 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:39.440 a very slow burn, but an incredibly profitable 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:41.619 one for the band. So bringing this all together 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:44.200 into a final picture. Okay. We have the band's 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:46.799 shortest overall album, resulting in their absolute 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:49.740 best sales week ever. Yep. Followed by massive, 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:52.859 undeniable international success, and culminating 00:22:52.859 --> 00:22:55.059 in a platinum certification nine years down the 00:22:55.059 --> 00:22:58.789 road. What do you think is the singular big takeaway 00:22:58.789 --> 00:23:01.650 from all this data? I think Got Your 6 represents 00:23:01.650 --> 00:23:04.509 the exact moment that five -finger death punch 00:23:04.509 --> 00:23:07.009 truly perfected their commercial efficiency. 00:23:07.349 --> 00:23:09.410 Efficiency is a good word for it. They confidently 00:23:09.410 --> 00:23:12.509 trimmed all the fat, literally, with a sub -40 00:23:12.509 --> 00:23:14.910 -minute runtime. Right. And they focused entirely 00:23:14.910 --> 00:23:18.269 on delivering maximum sonic impact. They perfectly 00:23:18.269 --> 00:23:20.730 balanced their brutal elements with the highly 00:23:20.730 --> 00:23:24.349 melodic hooks in a way that maximized their overall 00:23:24.349 --> 00:23:28.230 mainstream audience, but crucially, without completely 00:23:28.230 --> 00:23:31.890 alienating their core day one metal fan base. 00:23:32.109 --> 00:23:34.450 Which is a very hard tightrope to walk. It's 00:23:34.450 --> 00:23:37.039 almost impossible. It is essentially a masterclass 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:40.400 in knowing exactly who you are as artists and 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:42.700 delivering precisely what your specific audience 00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:45.680 wants, completely regardless of what the industry 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:47.420 trendsetters are saying you should be doing. 00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:49.480 Which brings me right back to that title, Got 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:51.660 Your Six. The initial promise they made. Right. 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:54.900 They explicitly promised the fans a heavy -hitting, 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:57.759 uncompromising record. They said, we've got your 00:23:57.759 --> 00:23:59.859 back, and they unapologetically delivered it. 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:02.440 They absolutely did. But here is the provocative 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:04.380 thought I want to leave you listening with today. 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:06.829 Let's hear it. When you look at those pure sales 00:24:06.829 --> 00:24:10.710 numbers we talked about, 114 ,000 individual 00:24:10.710 --> 00:24:14.150 people physically buying an album in a single 00:24:14.150 --> 00:24:17.230 week in 2015. A time when they could have just 00:24:17.230 --> 00:24:20.490 easily pirated it for free. Exactly. It really 00:24:20.490 --> 00:24:22.730 raises an interesting question about the dynamic 00:24:22.730 --> 00:24:26.049 relationship between these bands and their fans. 00:24:26.349 --> 00:24:29.130 It's highly reciprocal. Right. Did the massive 00:24:29.130 --> 00:24:31.269 commercial success of this record fundamentally 00:24:31.269 --> 00:24:35.200 prove that in an era where music... was increasingly 00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:38.299 becoming completely free and disposable, the 00:24:38.299 --> 00:24:41.240 core fans were actively proving that they had 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:43.539 the band's back just as much as the band had 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:45.359 theirs. Oh, that's a great way to look at it. 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.359 It's a level of genuine loyalty. actual monetary 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:50.720 loyalty that you just don't see every day in 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:53.140 the modern music business. It's a powerful validation 00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:55.900 of that bond between artist and listener. It 00:24:55.900 --> 00:24:57.880 essentially proves that if you consistently serve 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:00.019 and respect your community, they will sustain 00:25:00.019 --> 00:25:02.880 your career, even when the entire industry format 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:04.980 changes around you. Absolutely. Well, if you 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:06.539 haven't spun this one in a while, maybe go back 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:08.720 and check out some of the deep cuts. Hell to 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:11.799 Pay is an absolute banger. Digging My Own Grave 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:14.859 is incredibly heavy. And definitely see if you 00:25:14.859 --> 00:25:17.440 can track down that voicemail. hidden track on 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:19.900 the physical copy it's well worth a listen just 00:25:19.900 --> 00:25:22.220 for the laugh it really is thanks for diving 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:24.440 deep into the numbers with us today keep listening 00:25:24.440 --> 00:25:24.759 everyone