There have been rumors circulating for some time that Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook has left the band. Now, both Hook and FFDP have confirmed the split, and the band have announced their new guitarist.
Hook, who was with the band since 2009, issued the following statement:
“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.”
In a statement from the FFDP camp, it was revealed that Andy James, who filled in for Hook on a tour earlier this year, would replace him in the band. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory said the 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.”
Frontman Ivan Moody also said, “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.”
Look for more from FFDP and Andy James in the future.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
