Why did Five Finger Death Punch really split with Jason Hook? Guitarist says he's been 'issued gag order'
Heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) have finally made official the departure of long-time lead guitarist Jason Hook. The band posted the full explanation of Hook's departure on Facebook with the following statement: "Five Finger Death Punch confirms it parted ways with guitarist Jason Hook back in February 2020, during the band's sold out European arena tour. After his recovery from emergency gallbladder surgery at the end of last year, Jason Hook had to leave midway from the band’s tour of Europe to address further complications".
The band also announced Hook's replacement, British guitarist Andy James, a former member of Fields of the Nephilim. James has been filling in for Hook since 2019, and appears on 'Broken World', one of the five previously unreleased tracks that will appear on the upcoming greatest hits album 'A Decade Of Destruction, Volume 2'.
5FDP's official Facebook page also posted a statement from Hook which read, "I have had the pleasure of meeting so many of you in person. Thank you for the endless stories of how our music has touched your heart in some way! But the best part of being on tour the last 12 years, by far, has been playing my guitar and seeing the joy on your faces every night. I will miss that more than anything. As far the reason I’m leaving…well, there really isn’t just one. I’ve been in bands my entire life and I feel like I’ve done all the good that I can here. It’s time to pass the baton and move on to new challenges."
Rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory's explained Hook's departure as following: "Jason is an incredible guitar player so we had to find someone on the absolute top of their game. Someone like Andy James who was already a well-known virtuoso and had the chops to step into Jason’s shoes. Andy completed our European Tour with us back in February so he was already tried by fire. We instantly clicked both musically and personally so he was the obvious choice. We even have the same birthday… Some things are just meant to be." Lead vocalist Ivan Moody issued a statement regarding the same saying, "I just congratulated Jason on his recent wedding, and I hope he finds peace and happiness. As for us, I’m really excited to keep working with Andy and I just can’t wait for this Covid madness to be over so we can go back out on the road."
Why did Jason Hook exit Five Finger Death Punch?
Hook's official statement isn't the only explanation provided by the guitarist. In a now-deleted Instagram video, Hook earlier said that he’s not in the band anymore and can't talk about it due to legal constraints. Captioning the video "end of an era", Hook said he’s been issued a gag order and can’t talk about details.
In the video, Hook said, "I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all of the fans of Five Finger Death Punch for all of messages that you’ve been sending me about you know what. I’ve kinda been issued a gag order, so I’m not saying anything. But I’m very excited about the things I’m working on and I’m looking forward to sharing them with everybody. And when the time is right there will be a mutually agreed on press release between me and my guys and that’s it."
Talking about the future Hook said he’s got "eight projects on the go, and I’m excited about every one of them". He then, in the now-deleted video, continued to say, "I’ve got tons of new songs that I’m gonna release and I want people to hear them. I don’t expect to make money, I don’t expect to climb the top of charts. I didn’t care about any of that. The music business is sort of in the toilet, so it’s not really about that anymore. It’s just about getting off on it and getting fired up and creating something that’s exciting for me and hopefully translates to be exciting for you."
Later, in a new Instagram post, Hook quoted a fan thanking him and talked about his departure: "Just heard the news @jasonhook is no longer in 5FDP. Five years ago yesterday, I saw my first 5FDP concert and it’s changed my life. The next day after seeing Jason play, I decided to pick up guitar again. I have no clue what I’d be doing if I didn’t get to experience his playing. Thanks for everything Jason and good luck with your new projects. I will support whatever you do. [I greatly appreciate all the kind words of support. I’ll miss the fans the most, I have created an email jason@jasonhook.com if anyone wishes to stay in touch, I’ll do my best to respond... tons of new music coming, I have been recording since February. Much love and appreciation ~ H00K]"
Hook, in late 2019, underwent gallbladder surgery which forced 5FDP to postpone three tour dates. When the band hit the road again at the start of 2020, the guitarist had to leave the tour early because he needed "additional time for his recovery", as per an official statement by 5FDP.
What have Five Finger Death Punch been upto?
5FDP recently, on October 9, 2020, released a second best of compilation titled 'A Decade Of Destruction, Volume 2'. Apart from the song 'Broken World', it features remixes of their cover of Bad Company’s 'Bad Company' produced by Steve Aoki, and cover of Linkin Park’s 'Wash It All Away' remixed by Joe Hahn. Their latest studio album, 'F8', was released on February 28, 2020, and debuted at #8 on Billboard 200.