Digital Deluxe Version of Five Finger Death Punch’s AfterLife Features DMX Collab
It’s up to you whether or not a new release from Five Finger Death Punch is exciting or not, but when February 9 rolls along the world will have a new version of their 2022 album Afterlife. Not only that, but it’s going to come with some interesting bonus tracks that — once again — may or may not excite you.
That’s because the digital deluxe edition will come with the original 12 tracks, as well as four bonus tracks for your ear holes. Three of those new tracks are acoustic versions of “The End”, “Judgement Day” and “Thanks For Asking,” but the real doozy of a surprise is an entirely brand new song titled “This Is The Way,” featuring the late rapper DMX.
Yes, it’s true. The hardcore (and sorta metal) rapper from Yonkers, New York recorded a song with Five Finger Death Punch, of all bands. DMX died on April 9, 2021 after suffering a heart attack. If you don’t know who he is, definitely check out It’s Dark and Hell is Hot or Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. Those albums go hard and the level of violence and gore in the lyrics would fit in with most death metal acts out there.
But I digress. Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory said the collaboration with DMX fell in line with the band’s willingness to mix things up musically.
“Music is meant to be shared, and it starts at the top with us, the artists. We have always embraced the mixing of genres, whether it be the remake of LL Cool J’s ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ featuring Tech N9ne as a guest or our collaboration with blues warrior Kenny Wayne Shepherd, country star Brantley Gilbert, and Brian May, the legendary guitarist of Queen, on the song ‘Blue On Black’.
“The idea of collaborating with DMX had been in discussion for years, and it was a long and winding road to turn this particular item on our wish list into reality. He was a lyrical warrior, a true original who spoke his mind incorruptibly. We have always viewed DMX as ‘the metalhead of hip-hop’ because of his aggressive, raw, and untamed style. He growled and snarled, aiming to rattle some cages — an attitude we share, as Five Finger Death Punch has always been drawn to the fearless and the real. It made all the sense in the world, but today this is more than just a song; it’s a salute to a legend, a way to honor DMX’s memory.”
Along with the digital deluxe version of the album, the band will release a music video for “This Is The Way.” We don’t know if DMX actually took part in filming a video before he died, so it should be interesting to see how they handle that.
The band also dropped the acoustic version of “Judgement Day” on streaming platforms today, so you can check that out right now, too. They’re also touring Europe this Summer, so if you’d like, you can check out the full list of dates below.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH – Summer 2024 UK/European Tour:
Thur 23rd May 2024 – London, OVO Arena, UK
Sun 26th May 2024 – Munich, Olympiastadion, DE *
Tue 28th May 2024 – Zurich, Hallenstadion, CH
Wed 29th May 2024 – Milan, Idays Festival, IT **
Fri 31st May 2024 – Plzen, Metalfest Open Air Plazen, CZ **
Sat 1st Jun 2024 – Vienna, Rancino Rocks, AT *
Mon 3rd Jun 2024 – Hannover, ZAG Arena, DE
Wed 5th Jun 2024 – Solvesborg, Sweden Rock Festival, SE **
Thur 6th Jun 2024 – Trondheim, Trondheim Rocks, NO **
Sun 9th Jun 2024 – Helsinki, Olympic Stadium, FI *
Tue 11th Jun 2024 – Tallin, Unibet Arena, EE
Thu 13th Jun 2024 – Kaunas, Zalgiris Arena, LT
Sun 16th Jun 2024 – Copenhagen, Parken Stadium, DK *
Tue 18th Jun 2024 – Frankfurt, Festhalle, DE
Wed 19th Jun 2024 – Amsterdam, AFAS Live, NL
Fri 21st Jun 2024 – Dessel, Graspop Metal Meeting, BE **
Sun 23rd Jun 2024 – Ferropolis, Full Force Festival, DE **
Tue 25th Jun 2024 – Oberhausen, Rudolf Weber-Arena, DE
Wed 26th Jun 2024 – Esch-Sur-Alzette, Rockhal, LU ***
Sat 29th Jun 2024 – Zilina, Topfest, SK **
Tue 2nd July 2024 – Sofia, Armeec Arena, BG
Thurs 4th July 2024 – Bucharest, Metalhead Festival – 20 years aLIVE, RO
Sun 7th July 2024 – Warsaw, PGE Narodowy, PL *
Tue 9th July 2024 – Budapest, Barba Negra, HU
Sun 14th July 2024 – Madrid, Estadio Civitas Metropolitano, ES *
*Metallica support **festival dates ***no Ice Nine Kills
