JASON HOOK On Split With FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH: 'There's No Animosity There'

During a new appearance on The Mistress Carrie Podcast, former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook spoke about his exit from the band nearly four years ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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."

Hook added that it's more difficult to be in a band than it is to be in a marriage. "Because with a marriage, if there's a problem, you only have to work it out between the other party," he explained. "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."

Jason also talked about the formation of his new band FLAT BLACK, in which he is joined by singer Wes Horton, bassist Nick Diltz and drummer Rob Pierce.

"Very deliberately I wanted to make [FLAT BLACK] a four-piece," he said. "My favorite bands were always four-piece bands. I loved PANTERA. I loved VAN HALEN, QUEEN, LED ZEPPELIN, KISS, BEATLES. I don't desire to hear another guitar player. I'm gonna take up that entire fucking space. I'm taking the whole fucking 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. So we got the foundation, the bass, the drums, all the harmonies and the vocals and all that stuff, but I designed what I'm going to do to occupy that entire space. So I was very adamant about making it for a four-piece band."

In October 2020, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH confirmed that it had officially parted ways with Hook eight months earlier during the band's sold-out European arena tour. He has since been replaced by renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who made his recording debut with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of the group's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2".

After his recovery from emergency gallbladder surgery at the end of 2019, Hook had to leave midway from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's tour of Europe to address further complications.

Jason, who joined FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2009, said about his exit from the band: "As for 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."

Last month, Hook told Jake Daniels of the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station about how the new group came together: "Well, I was pretty hell-bent on starting a new band. Music's in my blood. It's a part of my DNA, and I just knew that… I didn't really care how long it took. It just had to be potent. And so, one [musician] at a time… I found Rob first, and he's awesome. And then, of course, Nick; he's from Los Angeles. All my guys are just stellar players. And I wanted to have a good pack of songs. And so here we are."

Regarding the importance of getting along with his bandmates on a personal level, Hook said: "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."

So far, FLAT BLACK has released three singles from its upcoming debut album, which will arrive in March 2024 via Fearless Records. The LP, produced by Hook, was recorded at both Jason's home studio and The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas.

FLAT BLACK made its live debut on August 24 at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California as the support act for GODSMACK.

Image courtesy of Front Row Bobby