Five Finger Death Punch tour brings Lexington native to town. Where you might spot him.

Chris Kael can’t help but beam when discussing his latest tour with Five Finger Death Punch, one that curiously pairs the veteran metal band with country stylist Brantley Gilbert. The trek brings the bass guitarist and his mates back to Rupp Arena this weekend. It will then crisscross the United States for six weeks before winding down in Las Vegas.

LexVegas and Las Vegas – cities Kael proudly calls “my two hometowns.”

Just in case you’re unaware of the thundering music of Five Finger Death Punch, which recently hit the top of the Billboard hard rock albums chart for the seventh time, Lexington native Kael is the imposing looking chap with the Titanic beard. He has been hammering down bass duties for the platinum-selling, Vegas-based band for over a decade. Prior to that, though, you would have found Kael gigging around Lexington clubs, working as a disc jockey at WRFL-FM and generally preparing for a serious shot out west at a music career.

“I remember the first time I played Rupp Arena with Death Punch,” Kael said “We were staying at the Hyatt on one of the top floors. I could look down and see where the Wrocklage used to be, which is where I really cut my teeth. And there was Breeding’s and the Millennium (all long-since-defunct music venues.) Those were the spots that propelled my career into what it’s become today.”

Kael made the leap about 20 years ago, but Las Vegas was initially planned as a stopover, not a final destination. Newly married, he detoured through Vegas to celebrate his honeymoon before heading to Los Angeles to relocate.

“Los Angeles was actually the target as to where I was going to go,” Kael said. “We were moving out there to pursue the musical dream. But as soon as we flew into Las Vegas, my wife was like, ‘I love this place. It’s gaudy. It’s tacky. It’s fun. I want to be here.’ I was like, ‘Whatevs.’ So we eventually went out to L.A., but I just didn’t feel there like I did in Las Vegas. Looking back at it now, the universe definitely directed me towards Las Vegas for the opportunity to join Death Punch. In April, I will have been in Vegas for 20 years. I got the gig with Death Punch 11 years ago.

“Las Vegas is a city with all kinds of entertainment options available every single day. So being in a band from Las Vegas, you walk into these places knowing that people have seen everything. That causes us to elevate our game in songwriting, in production, the pyro, the lights and all that stuff. Growing up on Iron Maiden and Kiss ... we’re still trying to outdo those stage shows. Luckily with the technology, we are molding our own image up there so that others will hopefully emulate what we’re doing right now.”

This fall Five Finger Death Punch is giving young bands – not to mention a continually growing legion of fans – plenty to emulate and enjoy. That’s because the band is essentially touring behind two albums. The first is the August-released “AfterLife,” its first record since a changing-of-the-guard in the lead guitar role – Andy James in for Jason Hook. The other is “F8,” a similarly hard-charging work that made it into stores a mere two weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown wiped out all opportunities to promote the album in March 2020.

“Being unable to tour behind ‘F8’ was very frustrating,” Kael said. “At that point, that was my favorite record we had done. I was super excited about getting out and playing those songs. But at the end of the day, we were still able to work by getting into the studio. If you didn’t find your hustle during the pandemic, then you didn’t have it in you. Luckily, all five of us, for sure, had the hustle and got right to work. Originally, we were going to do some videos and just create content, but I was like, ‘Nah, let’s get back to doing what we do but take our time doing it.’ So we were able to get ‘AfterLife’ put together.”

Now comes the really curious part. How does such a seriously ear-crunching outfit like Five Finger Death find itself on the road this fall with a country singer?

The alliance, as it turns out, isn’t a new one. Gilbert teamed with the band for a 2018 cover of the Kenny Wayne Shepherd hit “Blue on Black” that also enlisted Queen guitarist Brian May as well as Shepherd himself. Proceeds from the recording benefited the Gary Sinise Foundation to aid wounded veterans and first responders.

“When Brantley Gilbert’s name first came up, he was described to me as the Five Finger Death Punch of country,” Kael said. “I checked him out and as much as his music is country, it’s also got a hard rock vibe to it. When we did the ‘Blue on Black’ cover, he and I just really hit it off and became friends. You’re always looking to expand audiences. We’ve got this massive audience that’s supportive all the way around the world, but you still look for other areas of opportunity to continue to grow.

“Molding these two styles into one package ... it’s different, but there are certainly elements that tie in together. Brantley has got kind of a hard rock country, hard rock heavy metal kind of thing going on, so it’s going to be fun. And the tour is selling ridiculously well. As good as we knew it was going to be, it seems to be outshining and outperforming even what we were anticipating.”

What Kael is especially anticipating, though, is playing again in the city he used to call home and reconnecting family and friends who supported him before becoming “a big fish in a big pond.”

“I love playing Rupp Arena. It’s the hometown crowd. I think I have a day off the day before we play Rupp, so I’ll be able to see friends, settle into the hometown a little bit for a day, maybe eat at Joe Bologna’s.

“Lexington, and really the entire region out there, has been very supportive of my musical endeavors right from the very beginning. It helped my songwriting skills, helped me to be creative and put what I did in front of a crowd when we played places like the Wrocklage and Breeding’s. Kentucky gave me the confidence and support to get out and move out to the big pond. But at the end of it all, I’m still Chris from Lexington and the Big Blue Nation.”

Five Finger Death Punch, Brantley Gilbert and Cory Marks

When: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12

Where: Rupp Arena, 430 W. Vine

Tickets: $29.50-$129.50 through ticketmaster.com.