Five Finger Death Punch Guitarist Moved by Lead Singer
Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook has worked with some of rock's greats, ranging from Alice Cooper to Vince Neil. But nobody has touched him the way that Five Finger Death Punch's vocalist Ivan 'Ghost' Moody, formerly of Motograter, has.
"Ivan, our singer, is probably the best front man I've ever been involved with," Hook told Noisecreep. "He's very good on stage. He's animated. He talks to the crowd like they're real people. Calls the shots as we go. He's a take-no-prisoners kind of guy. People who haven't seen the show and don't know what to expect, by the end of the show, they're hooked for life. He also has a very strong presence, as far as the marketing of the band -- the visuals, the branding, the merch and the graphic work -- it's very bold.
"I've worked with some legendary people, but it's difficult to compete with those guys. They have years of experience. Ivan will end up being one of those guys. He's just really good on stage. That's his home."
Hook chalks up Moody's abilities to the Five Finger Death Punch's success with their sophomore album 'War is the Answer,' which peaked at number 7 on The Billboard 200 album chart.
"I think--we think--we're delivering something that isn't available from any other band," Hook said. "We've got something that has poked through the crowd, if you will. There's something that's unique about our group. There are extremely heavy, hardcore metal bands or there are the rock bands that aren't really metal but they're heavy, heavy rock stuff for radio. We're a blend of something in the middle. Plus our live show is pretty exciting and aggressive, if I can say so myself."
'War is the Answer' is the follow-up to Five Finger Death Punch's debut, 'The Way of the Fist.' The earlier release failed to hit the Top 10 yet sold in excess of 370,000 copies and spawned the hits 'The Bleeding,' 'Never Enough' and 'Stranger Than Fiction.' Hook said 'War is the Answer's' debut spot "certainly speaks volumes as far as what's going on with this group."
"We were really hoping it ['War is the Answer'] would crack Top 10," Hook said. "Number 7 was a delight. This band has seemed to gather a lot of popularity in a short period of time. We were wondering where we would debut and it was a bit of a surprise--and pretty awesome, actually."