In a recent episode of The Mistress Carrie Podcast, former Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook addressed his departure from the band, which took place nearly four years ago. Mentioning the dynamic between the members, he remarked:
“There’s no animosity there. There’s nothing there. It’s like everything. Over time, relationships and policies change. With extreme success, popularity, finances, it affects egos and personalities and roles and all that stuff.”
He went on to say that being in a band was more difficult than marriage and explained:
“Because with a marriage, if there’s a problem, you only have to work it out between the other party. In a band, you could be solid with this guy, but it’s still a mess with [one of the other guys]. It’s okay with him. It’s a mess with this guy. Of course, it’s way harder. It’s like having four wives.”
Hook left Five Finger Death Punch in February 2020, but the band officially announced it eight months later during the European arena tour. Following this, while Andy James filled his role in the group, the guitarist formed a new band, Flat Black, with singer Wes Horton, bassist Nick Diltz, and drummer Rob Pierce.
As he told Mistress Carrie that he especially wanted the band to be four-piece, Hook revealed:
“I don’t desire to hear another guitar player. I’m gonna take up that entire f**king space. I’m taking the whole f**king space. It’s not a mean thing. It’s not an angry thing. It’s just I desire to create parts that will occupy that middle space of the music.”
On the other hand, in another interview with the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station last month, the artist mentioned that he took the time while recruiting his current bandmates. He also touched on the importance of getting along with them by saying:
“Well, it was a bit of a prerequisite to find guys that were mentally stable and free of drama and that we could hang. It’s all about the hang. When you’re on tour, you’re stuck in this submarine, this rolling submarine, for 18 months. It’s important that everyone is compatible. The personalities, I wanted to be very specific about that this time around… We’re getting along great.”
Making its debut on August 24 at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, Flat Black released its latest single, ‘Justice Will Be Done,’ a few days ago.