War Is the Answer
Encyclopedia
War Is the Answer is the second studio album by American heavy metal
band Five Finger Death Punch
. It was released on September 22, 2009 through Prospect Park Records. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200
selling approximately 44,000 copies in its first week. It is also their last album to feature bassist Matt Snell who was released from the band in late 2010 and announced in 2011. "War Is the Answer" has been certified gold for U.S., with sales of 569,000.
's Black Rain
, and mixed by Randy Staub
, who has previously worked with Metallica
and Stone Sour
. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory commented on the style of the album, stating "we've continued the journey we started on the first album, so there's a healthy balance of melody and aggression, and as always we concentrated on writing strong metal songs in the traditional sense."
Bathory explained to Metal Hammer
about the album title, "It's a phrase we've had up our sleeves for some time, and I've been talking about it a lot in interviews. In fact, somebody just asked me: 'If war is the answer, then what is the question?', and I guess the answer to that is "the meaning of life!" Because life IS war. Basically, you're fighting against one thing or another right from the start – you're fighting for survival with pretty much everything against you, you're fighting for social or political positions"
The two bonus tracks, "Succubus
" and "Undone" were originally cut from their first album The Way of the Fist. A demo version of "Succubus" was leaked onto the Internet under the title "Hate Me". The band decided to re-record both songs and include them as bonus tracks on War Is the Answer.
", "Walk Away
", "Dying Breed
", "No One Gets Left Behind
", "Bad Company", and "Far from Home
".
The first single from War Is the Answer, "Hard to See", began receiving radio play on July 13, 2009. The song was noted for having "undeniable melodies." According to Bathory, the song is about people being attached to opinions based on limited amounts of information. It is also a playable track in the rhythm video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
. The second single, "Walk Away
" was released on November 2, 2009 and appeared in Tap Tap Revenge 3 as one of their weekly free tracks and also was used as the theme song for TNA
's 2010 PPV Lockdown
. The next two singles, "Dying Breed
" released on November 16, 2009 and "No One Gets Left Behind
" released on March 8, 2010 were both released exclusively in the United Kingdom. They released their cover of Bad Company
's song, "Bad Company" as the fifth single on May 17, 2010. "Far from Home
" was released as the sixth single on September 16, 2010. "Far from Home" was also featured as the incidental music over the closing scenes of the TV drama show Criminal Minds
episode "What Happens at Home".
Production
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2005, the group's name is derived from classic oriental martial arts cinema. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, guitarist Zoltan Bathory, guitarist Caleb Bingham, bassist Matt Snell,...
. It was released on September 22, 2009 through Prospect Park Records. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
selling approximately 44,000 copies in its first week. It is also their last album to feature bassist Matt Snell who was released from the band in late 2010 and announced in 2011. "War Is the Answer" has been certified gold for U.S., with sales of 569,000.
Writing and recording
War Is the Answer was announced as Five Finger Death Punch's second studio album in May 2009. The album was produced by Kevin Churko, who had previously produced Ozzy OsbourneOzzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
's Black Rain
Black Rain (Ozzy Osbourne album)
-'Tour Edition' disc 2:- Album sales :Black Rain debuted at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 152,000 copies in its first week; making it Osbourne's highest debut to date. It peaked at number 37 on the Australian ARIA Album Chart...
, and mixed by Randy Staub
Randy Staub
Randy Staub is a Canadian recording engineer. He has been nominated for the Juno Awards' "Recording Engineer of the Year" award nine times. He won in 2002 for the songs "How You Remind Me" and "Too Bad" by Nickelback. Staub also mixed Alice in Chains' fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to...
, who has previously worked with Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Stone Sour
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2006, the group has been composed of Corey Taylor , Jim Root , Josh Rand, , Shawn Economaki and Roy Mayorga . Original drummer Joel Ekman left the group in 2006...
. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory commented on the style of the album, stating "we've continued the journey we started on the first album, so there's a healthy balance of melody and aggression, and as always we concentrated on writing strong metal songs in the traditional sense."
Bathory explained to Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
about the album title, "It's a phrase we've had up our sleeves for some time, and I've been talking about it a lot in interviews. In fact, somebody just asked me: 'If war is the answer, then what is the question?', and I guess the answer to that is "the meaning of life!" Because life IS war. Basically, you're fighting against one thing or another right from the start – you're fighting for survival with pretty much everything against you, you're fighting for social or political positions"
Release
Although War Is the Answer was originally announced to be released on June 8, 2009, it was pushed back to October 6, 2009, then pulled forward to September 22, 2009. On August 10, 2009, they announced the first leg of their Shock and Raw Tour, which will promote the new album. The second leg was announced on August 17, 2009.The two bonus tracks, "Succubus
Succubus (song)
"Succubus" is a song by the Los Angeles based, American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch.-Background:...
" and "Undone" were originally cut from their first album The Way of the Fist. A demo version of "Succubus" was leaked onto the Internet under the title "Hate Me". The band decided to re-record both songs and include them as bonus tracks on War Is the Answer.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums Chart | 14 |
| US Billboard 200 | 7 |
| US Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
5 |
| US Rock Albums | 4 |
| US Hard Rock Albums | 3 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
152 |
Singles
Six singles have been released from the album, "Hard to SeeHard to See
"Hard to See" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. The song was released as the first single from their second album War Is the Answer, and their fourth single overall. The single was released on July 21, 2009...
", "Walk Away
Walk Away (Five Finger Death Punch song)
"Walk Away" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. The song was released as the second single from their second album, War Is The Answer, and their fifth single overall on November 2, 2009...
", "Dying Breed
Dying Breed (song)
Dying Breed is a song by the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It is the third single from their second album War Is the Answer, and their sixth single overall. The single was released exclusively through Spinefarm Records as a digital download in the UK on November 16, 2009. The...
", "No One Gets Left Behind
No One Gets Left Behind
"No One Gets Left Behind" is a song by the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It is the fourth from their second album War is the Answer, and their seventh single overall. The single was released on March 8, 2010 exclusively in the UK by Spinefarm Records...
", "Bad Company", and "Far from Home
Far from Home (song)
"Far from Home" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It was released as the sixth and final single from their second studio album War Is the Answer on September 16, 2010. It debuted at #33 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, eventually peaking at #4...
".
The first single from War Is the Answer, "Hard to See", began receiving radio play on July 13, 2009. The song was noted for having "undeniable melodies." According to Bathory, the song is about people being attached to opinions based on limited amounts of information. It is also a playable track in the rhythm video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
. The second single, "Walk Away
Walk Away (Five Finger Death Punch song)
"Walk Away" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. The song was released as the second single from their second album, War Is The Answer, and their fifth single overall on November 2, 2009...
" was released on November 2, 2009 and appeared in Tap Tap Revenge 3 as one of their weekly free tracks and also was used as the theme song for TNA
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
's 2010 PPV Lockdown
Lockdown (2010)
Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 18, 2010 at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri. It was the sixth event under the Lockdown chronology and the fourth event of the 2010 TNA PPV...
. The next two singles, "Dying Breed
Dying Breed (song)
Dying Breed is a song by the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It is the third single from their second album War Is the Answer, and their sixth single overall. The single was released exclusively through Spinefarm Records as a digital download in the UK on November 16, 2009. The...
" released on November 16, 2009 and "No One Gets Left Behind
No One Gets Left Behind
"No One Gets Left Behind" is a song by the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It is the fourth from their second album War is the Answer, and their seventh single overall. The single was released on March 8, 2010 exclusively in the UK by Spinefarm Records...
" released on March 8, 2010 were both released exclusively in the United Kingdom. They released their cover of Bad Company
Bad Company
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
's song, "Bad Company" as the fifth single on May 17, 2010. "Far from Home
Far from Home (song)
"Far from Home" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It was released as the sixth and final single from their second studio album War Is the Answer on September 16, 2010. It debuted at #33 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, eventually peaking at #4...
" was released as the sixth single on September 16, 2010. "Far from Home" was also featured as the incidental music over the closing scenes of the TV drama show Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
episode "What Happens at Home".
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt. |
US Main. |
US Rock Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
||||
| 2009 | "Hard to See Hard to See "Hard to See" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. The song was released as the first single from their second album War Is the Answer, and their fourth single overall. The single was released on July 21, 2009... " |
40 | 8 | 28 | ||
| "Walk Away Walk Away (Five Finger Death Punch song) "Walk Away" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. The song was released as the second single from their second album, War Is The Answer, and their fifth single overall on November 2, 2009... " |
31 | 7 | 21 | |||
| 2010 | "Dying Breed Dying Breed (song) Dying Breed is a song by the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It is the third single from their second album War Is the Answer, and their sixth single overall. The single was released exclusively through Spinefarm Records as a digital download in the UK on November 16, 2009. The... " |
— | — | — | ||
| "No One Gets Left Behind No One Gets Left Behind "No One Gets Left Behind" is a song by the American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It is the fourth from their second album War is the Answer, and their seventh single overall. The single was released on March 8, 2010 exclusively in the UK by Spinefarm Records... " |
— | — | — | |||
| "Bad Company" | 26 | 2 | 8 | |||
| "Far from Home Far from Home (song) "Far from Home" is a song by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It was released as the sixth and final single from their second studio album War Is the Answer on September 16, 2010. It debuted at #33 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, eventually peaking at #4... " |
29 | 4 | 16 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. | ||||||
Personnel
Five Finger Death Punch- Ivan MoodyIvan L. MoodyIvan L. Moody, also known by the pseudonym Ghost, is the singer for American Heavy metal group Five Finger Death Punch from Sacramento, California. He had performed for several bands before settling down with FFDP...
- vocals - Zoltan BathoryZoltan BathoryZoltán Báthory is a Hungarian-born musician. He is the co-founder and one of the main songwriters for the Los Angeles-based hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch.-Career:...
- guitars - Jason HookJason HookJason Hook is a Canadian guitarist, record producer, songwriter and session musician.-Biography and Career:...
- guitars - Matt Snell - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Jeremy Spencer - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Produced by Kevin ChurkoKevin ChurkoKevin Gregory Churko , is a Canadian musician, sound engineer, songwriter and record producer best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Modern Science, Five Finger Death Punch, Hinder, In This Moment and Shania Twain.-Awards:He has been nominated for five Juno Awards and has won...
- Mixed by Randy StaubRandy StaubRandy Staub is a Canadian recording engineer. He has been nominated for the Juno Awards' "Recording Engineer of the Year" award nine times. He won in 2002 for the songs "How You Remind Me" and "Too Bad" by Nickelback. Staub also mixed Alice in Chains' fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to...