The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1

The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch and the first of two albums released by the band in 2013.[1] It was released on July 30, 2013, through Prospect Park. Pre-orders for the album started on iTunes on June 18, 2013. The album debuted in the United States Billboard 200 charts at No. 2, their highest chart position in that country, with 113,000 copies sold.[2] Volume 2 and Got Your Six would eventually tie this chart record. The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of at least 1,000,000 copies. The album was entirely produced by Kevin Churko and Five Finger Death Punch.

The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1
Studio album by Five Finger Death Punch
Released	July 30, 2013
Recorded	2012–2013 at The Hideout Studios, Las Vegas, Nevada
Genre	Groove metal alternative metal hard rock
Length	41:56
Label	Prospect Park
Producer	Kevin Churko Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch chronology
American Capitalist (2011) The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 (2013) The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 (2013)
Singles from The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1
"Lift Me Up" Released: May 2, 2013 "Mama Said Knock You Out" Released: March 25, 2014 "Wrong Side of Heaven" Released: August 10, 2014

Background

On February 15, 2013, Five Finger Death Punch announced that they were working on their fourth album. On March 18, the band posted a promotional video for an upcoming tour with a new song titled "Here to Die".[3] The song would end up appearing on The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 as the first track.

On May 1, 2013, the band announced that they would be releasing two studio albums in the year, with The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 being released on July 30, and Volume 2 following later in the year. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory said of the band's decision to release two albums:

"We came off the road after a couple of great years of touring and were really amped up to write the 4th record. Everybody was in the right headspace and the band tighter than ever so it was a perfect storm. We jumped in head first and found ourselves 12–13 songs deep fairly quick but were still coming up with better and better material so we looked at each other and said... okay why stop there?... let’s keep going. Once we passed the 24th song we knew we’re going to have to do a double album. We had this massive amount of music that’s very dear to us, possibly the best material this band has ever created. At that point there was no way to decide which songs to leave off the album. So we made the decision to release them all."[4]

Unlike the sequel to the album, Volume 1 features multiple guest appearances, including the aforementioned Rob Halford and Tech N9ne, along with Maria Brink. The deluxe version includes Max Cavalera and Jamey Jasta in addition to those already mentioned.

Singles

The album's opening track and lead single is "Lift Me Up", and features Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford. The band debuted the song live during the 5th Annual Golden God Awards. It was subsequently released as a single on May 2, 2013. Lead singer Ivan Moody remarked that "just to work alongside an icon like Rob Halford, The Metal God, was absolutely surreal." Moody has said of the song's lyrical themes: "The song itself was originally written about overcoming everyday obstacles and less-than-perfect situations. Most of us weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouth, but if life dealt you all the wrong cards, you still have to play."[5]

The album's second single, an LL Cool J cover of "Mama Said Knock You Out", was released on March 25, 2014. It features American rapper Tech N9ne.

The album's third single was the title track serving for both the albums, "Wrong Side of Heaven".

Track listing

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]
Artistdirect	[7]
Jukebox:Metal	[8]
Loudwire	[9]
Melodic	[10]
Sputnikmusic	[11]
Ultimate Guitar	[12]
Tapp Out Music	[13]

All tracks are written by Ivan Moody, Zoltan Bathory, Jason Hook, Jeremy Spencer and Kevin Churko, except where noted.

Standard edition and disc one of deluxe edition

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lift Me Up" (featuring Rob Halford of Judas Priest)	4:06
2.	"Watch You Bleed"	3:43
3.	"You"	3:03
4.	"Wrong Side of Heaven"	4:31
5.	"Burn MF"	3:37
6.	"I.M.Sin"	3:39
7.	"Anywhere But Here" (featuring Maria Brink of In This Moment)	3:45
8.	"Dot Your Eyes"	3:15
9.	"M.I.N.E (End This Way)"	4:06
10.	"Mama Said Knock You Out" (featuring Tech N9ne, LL Cool J cover)	2:47
11.	"Diary of a Deadman"	4:44
12.	"I.M.Sin" (featuring Max Cavalera of Soulfly)	3:39
13.	"Anywhere But Here" (duet with Maria Brink of In This Moment)	3:46
14.	"Dot Your Eyes" (featuring Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed)	3:15
Total length:		52:08

Disc two: Purgatory (Tales from the Pit) (live album)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Intro"	1:00
2.	"Under and Over It"	4:09
3.	"Burn It Down"	4:07
4.	"American Capitalist"	3:33
5.	"Hard to See"	3:45
6.	"Coming Down"	5:07
7.	"Bad Company"	4:57
8.	"White Knuckles"	10:00
9.	"Drum Solo"	4:16
10.	"Far From Home"	2:29
11.	"Never Enough"	3:42
12.	"War Is the Answer"	5:44
13.	"Remember Everything"	5:14
14.	"No One Gets Left Behind"	3:49
15.	"The Bleeding"	7:16
Total length:		69:08

Charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Canadian Albums Chart	3
US Billboard 200	2
US Top Rock Albums	1
US Hard Rock Albums	1
US Digital Albums	2
US Independent Albums	1
US Tastemaker Albums	2

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)	Position
US Billboard 200[14]	91
US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[15]	4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16]	8
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[17]	21

Chart (2014)	Position
US Billboard 200[18]	186
US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[19]	7
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20]	12
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[21]	34

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22]	Gold	40,000^^
United States (RIAA)[23]	Platinum	1,000,000
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Band Ivan Moody – vocals Zoltan Bathory – rhythm guitar Jason Hook – lead guitar, backing vocals Jeremy Spencer – drums Chris Kael – bass, backing vocals

Additional personnel Kevin Churko – producer Rob Halford – additional vocals on "Lift Me Up" Tech N9ne – additional vocals on "Mama Said Knock You Out" Max Cavalera – additional vocals on "I.M.Sin" Maria Brink – additional vocals on "Anywhere But Here" Jamey Jasta – additional vocals on "Dot Your Eyes"

References

1. "Five Finger Death Punch Announce New Album | News | Rock Sound". Rocksound.tv. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
2. "PRESS RELEASE: "The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell" Vol. 1 Globally Debuts as #1 Rock Album". Five Finger Death Punch. August 7, 2013. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
3. "Five Finger Death Punch - 2013 Tour Reel". March 18, 2013.
4. "FFDP: Press Release Announcement for Two New Studio Albums!!!". Five Finger Death Punch. Archived from the original on May 4, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
5. "Five Finger Death Punch on Rob Halford: 'The Guy Is an Icon' | Music News @". Ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
6. Heaney, Gregory. "The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side - Allmusic Review". Retrieved August 13, 2013.
7. Florino, Rick. "The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side - Artistdirect Review". Retrieved August 13, 2013.
8. Ellis Davis. "Jukebox:Metal review".
9. Bowar, Chad. "The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side - Loudwire Review". Retrieved August 13, 2013.
10. Andersen, Jörgen. "The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side - Melodic Magazine Review". Retrieved August 13, 2013.
11. J., Nash. "The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side - Sputnikmusic Review". Retrieved August 13, 2013.
12. "The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side - Ultimate Guitar Review". Retrieved August 13, 2013.
13. "The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side - Tapp Out Music Review". Retrieved November 5, 2013.
14. "Top Billboard 200 Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
15. "Hard Rock Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard.
16. "Top Independent Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard.
17. "Top Rock Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard.
18. "Top Billboard 200 Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
19. "Hard Rock Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard.
20. "Top Independent Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard.
21. "Top Rock Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard.
22. "Canadian album certifications – Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol. 1". Music Canada.
23. "American album certifications – Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 6, 2017. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.