FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Frontman: 'I Truly Believe Heavy Metal Has Gone South'

October 26, 2009

Arkansas Rocks! Entertainment conducted an interview with guitarist Jason Hook and vocalist Ivan Moody of Los Angeles metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on October 23, 2009 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage from the Little Rock concert.

"I truly believe heavy metal has gone south," Moody recently told MySanAntonio.com. "Too many people are focusing on, will the songs be on the radio, will the shirt be in Hot Topic? It reminds me of the late '80s when bands worried only about what would get 'em laid or what would get 'em paid.

"We come from the element of metal that still believes in rebellion. I just call us bad ass. Bands like METALLICA never sat around and said, 'We're speed metal,' or 'We're thrash metal.' If it feels good at the end of the day, to me, that's metal."

Regarding his lyrical approach, Moody said, "I do try to leave it open-ended. I don't want to tell people what to think. Everybody has a different opinion. Jeremy, Matt, Zoltan and Jason are gifted musicians. They'll send me a set of music and I'll write lyrics around it. They have faith in me and I have faith in them. This is not anyone's first barbecue.

"For the second CD, we went in with the mentality that we had to step it up. We didn't want to be stagnant. Kevin Churko (the CD producer) helped a lot. I am so proud of this new album."

"Every chance I get, every moment of my day, goes into a song," he added. "Media, politics, women, family, friends, good relationships, bad relationships, all inspire me. Thank God the world is so (expletive) up or I'd be out of a job."

On the band's live performance, Moody said, "We pride ourselves on the live show. Anybody can go into a studio and make an album. When you perform live, you bring a level of intimacy. I'm a blue-collar kid from Colorado. I grew up on a farm. I'm not much on b.s. When you go on stage, you can grab somebody by the throat or grab somebody by the hand."

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