Five Finger Death Punch drummer Charlie Engen discussed in a recent podcast how his life has changed since he joined the band in late 2018 to replace founding member Jeremy Spencer. Engen made his recording debut with the band on the recently released F8.
Speaking on the “Rock & Roll Beer Guy” podcast, Engen said, “Financially, it was amazing, because it was the first time I had any sort of balance in my life. I've always been 'feast or famine' my entire existence . . . So as far as financially, it was just great to get some stability in my life.”
Engen initially joined the band as a touring musician and was put on contract during that period. Now he says he has a “word of mouth agreement” with the band, adding, “That's the way they like to operate, and I prefer that as well. You don't feel like you're getting treated like a fill-in puzzle piece.”
He continued, “They did a great job of making me feel like a band member out of the gate . . . They were really good about keeping it all cool, and it never felt, like, 'All right, man. Don't screw this up,' or anything like that.”
Spencer, who co-founded Five Finger Death Punch with guitarist Zoltan Bathory, underwent back surgery in the fall of 2018 that required a significant recovery period. Since exiting the group, he has formed a new outfit called Psychosexual in which he sings under the name Devil Daddy.