FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's JASON HOOK On Songwriting: 'It's So Easy To Repeat Yourself'

December 15, 2017

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook was recently interviewed on MÖTLEY CRÜE and SIXX:A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx's syndicated rock radio show "Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx". You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH continuing to use Canadian producer Kevin Churko, who has also worked with OZZY OSBOURNE, IN THIS MOMENT, PAPA ROACH, DISTURBED and HELLYEAH:

Jason: "We found Kevin first in 2008, and the only other band that he had done that we know of is Ozzy and IN THIS MOMENT. So now I hear HELLYEAH and IN THIS MOMENT and DISTURBED [on the radio], and I go, 'This is definitely Kevin. I can hear the drums. But who is this? It's HELLYEAH. No. It's DISTURBED.' "Cause everything… He's got a template."

On whether he likes working with a producer that can write music:

Jason: "Yeah, I do. To me, the only thing that works, for me — this is my opinion — are songs; the quality of the song. For me, every song can have a rating. Does it connect with the listener? Does it have those elements? A great beat that makes you just wanna move, or the melody, or the lyric: 'Oh, it reminds me of that time…' Whatever. So if you have all those connective elements, you are closer to — this is my opinion — a hit. If you connect on all those feelings. So I'm always trying to establish those connective elements in every idea, and [Kevin] gets that. So I love working with people that get that. 'Cause I'm, like, 'The track is amazing — I love this track. I don't understand the words. I don't understand what the story is.' So he's right in tune with me on that kind of approach, and we just try to say, 'Well, what would make a better… Let's bring that section up a little bit, if it could be better.'"

On bands getting lazy when it comes to creating something new and fresh:

Jason: "It's so easy to repeat yourself. I'm, like, 'I know what works for us. I know what works when we get on stage.' Those fucking four-on-the-floor stomps, those things are… It's just easy. As a matter of fact, this is interesting, 'cause when I played with [MÖTLEY CRÜE singer] Vince [Neil], I [told] Brent [Fitz], [Vince's] drummer [at the time], I said, 'What's interesting about this catalog, this MÖTLEY catalog is it really works well live. These songs — like the beat, the style of music. And Brent, the drummer, says, 'You know why? 'Cause it's four on the floor.' I go, 'What does that mean?' And he goes, 'Listen — it's kick drum on every beat.' And I'm, like, 'Fuck! Well, let's do that then.' So most of our songs are… I shouldn't say we're stealing from MÖTLEY CRÜE, but the principle works — that driving beat, that kick on every beat, like 'Under And Over It' and things like that. So that's something I learned from being in Vince's band."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits compilation, "A Decade Of Destruction", was released on December 1. The set includes two new songs, "Trouble" and a cover of THE OFFSPRING's "Gone Away".

The hits collection and an already completed new studio album are part of a deal to settle a legal dispute and close out the band's contract with Prospect Park.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's seventh full-length LP, which was finished a year ago, will follow up 2015's "Got Your Six" and will be released in spring 2018.

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).