Jeremy Spencer and HarperCollins Announce Sept. 2 Release for Death Punch’d, Surviving Five Finger Death Punch’s Metal Mayhem
Author Commits Percentage of All Personal Income from Book to NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals
Revolver Premieres Teaser Produced By Spencer Today!
Jeremy at Rockfest 2014
Five Finger Death Punch co-founder and drummer Jeremy Spencer and publisher HarperCollins have jointly announced a September 2 release date for Spencer’s autobiography Death Punch’d, Surviving Five Finger Death Punch’s Metal Mayhem.
Spencer’s personal journey through the wild highs and terrifying lows of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle is told with candor and a sense of redemption and enlightenment. The first-time author offers a wry and rollicking tale of music, addiction and recovery, revealing the path that served as a catalyst to make him the man he is today. A detailed, in-depth account of Five Finger Death Punch’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 Jeremy’s 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. Brimming with Spencer’s unique personality and ability to find humor in even the darkest situations, Death Punch’d is captivating throughout.
Spencer shares, “The day I left treatment for alcohol and drug addiction, I decided to write my story. 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. What had begun as a way to help process my own ‘stuff,’ has resulted in the publication of Death Punch’d, Surviving Five Finger Death Punch’s Metal Mayhem. At first, I was apprehensive about the reaction I’d get from having the ‘arrogance’ to think anyone would want to read about my life. However, that initial apprehension has been replaced by knowing that if my story can help even one person, whatever criticism I might receive will pale in comparison. I’m not proud of many of the episodes in the book, but the person I was, under the influence, is not who I choose to be. A heartbeat away from death, I chose life. So, more than anything, I think Death Punch’d is a reflection of how far one can fall and still find a way back, a way to accomplish goals and dreams and more important…a way to live. I’d be the last person to say it’s easy. But, I’d be the first person to say there’s always hope.”
Photo courtesy of pearldrum.com
Spencer has committed a percentage of his personal income from the book to support NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, which represents the professional interests of more than 75,000 addiction counselors, educators and other addiction-focused health care professionals in the United States, Canada and abroad. NAADAC’s members are addiction counselors, educators and other addiction-focused health care professionals, who specialize in addiction prevention, treatment, recovery support and education. An important part of the healthcare continuum, NAADAC members and its 45 state affiliates work to create healthier individuals, families and communities through prevention, intervention, quality treatment and recovery support.
Jeremy and Alice Cooper
Rock legends have always been vocal about addiction and recovery, and Jeremy’s book has yielded positive reaction from many, including Alice Cooper, who says, “Every rock star struggling with addition comes to the crossroads. Where he decides whether to live or die. It all comes down to that one decision. You’re either going to stop everything and change your lifestyle and go on to make more music, or you die, it’s that simple. Jeremy’s book is one of the best rock n roll, addiction and redemption stories since Nikki Sixx’The Heroin Diaries. Jeremy, you’re still here, welcome to the club!”
Nikki himself contributes, “It is a testament to Jeremy’s character that he emerged from the clutches of addiction to write this compelling book.”
Rob Halford offers, “Jeremy is in a position to tell a unique story: FFDP are a band young enough that they had to navigate the new music industry, yet they did so with an approach and work ethic that was purely old school. That story alone would make for a good read, and Jeremy covers it. But thankfully he goes further ~ he details how metal musicians are forged, and how metal bands either bond or break, and he tells us this in a matter-of-fact, unfiltered voice that is as raw and unashamed as his band's music."
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 co-founder 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.
More About Jeremy Spencer
Five Finger Death Punch drummer and band co-founder Jeremy Spencer’s rise to fame is a story of diligence and perseverance. Born in Oakland City, IN on January 8, 1973, Spencer shares a birthday with Elvis Presley and David Bowie. At age 6, after seeing the cover of a KISS record, Spencer became fixated on the drums and his grandmother bought him an $80 kit from Sears. Over the next decade, he learned to play by ear, while performing snare in the Boonville High School Marching Band from sixth grade through high school. At 19, he left Indiana, emigrating from the Midwest to Oceanside, CA where his dreams remained unfulfilled. He moved to Franklin, TN, where he enjoyed a short tenure with a country act, but soon thereafter returned to Los Angeles where while playing in various area metal bands he answered an advertisement guitarist Zoltan Bathory had placed. With the introduction came the birth of Five Finger Death Punch.
Spencer has enjoyed great success, with the band enjoying three consecutive RIAA gold certified releases for sales exceeding 500,000 copies. These albums ~ The Way of the Fist (2007), War Is The Answer (2009) and American Capitalist (2011) ~ delivered ten consecutive Top 10 hits. In 2012, Revolver Magazine awarded Spencer the Golden Gods Best Drummer Award, while Metal Hammer Magazine in the UK cited the band as Best New Band & Breakthrough Artist in 2010.
5FDP on the 2014 Golden Gods red carpet
This past year, Five Finger Death Punch released The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Volumes 1 and 2, both of which have been best sellers on sales charts across the globe. Spencer is also the creator of Extreme Metal Drum Loops Vol. 1. The charismatic drummer is co-writing and producing his first feature film, and with the release of his first autobiography rapidly approaching, he is both excited about the future and mentally, physically and spiritually healthier than ever before.
More About NAADAC
Founded in 1974, as the National Association of Alcoholism Counselors and Trainers (NAACT), the organization’s primary objective was to develop a field of professional counselors with professional qualifications and backgrounds. The organization evolved and became the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) in 1982, uniting professionals who worked for positive outcomes in alcohol and drug services. NAADAC’s new name ~ NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals ~ was adopted in 2001 and reflects the increasing variety of addiction services professionals: counselors, administrators, social workers and others, who are active in counseling, prevention, intervention, treatment, education and research.
NAADAC’s members provide services in a variety of settings: private and public treatment centers, hospitals, private practice and community-based behavioral health agencies. NAADAC is a global organization of addiction focused professionals who enhance the health and recovery of individuals, families and communities.