Five Finger Death Punch Celebrate Vocalist Ivan Moody’s One Year of Sobriety [Update]
Five Finger Death Punch vocalist Ivan Moody is celebrating one year of sobriety this week. To mark the occasion, the Las Vegas-based metaheads are saluting the achievement from the musician who's previously said that Judas Priest singer Rob Halford helped him get clean.
The anniversary follows a tumultuous few years for Moody, who briefly stopped performing with the band in 2017 after an onstage meltdown highlighted his substance abuse issues. But with the ongoing support of his Five Finger Death Punch bandmates, the vocalist has returned to the stage and is now well along the path to recovery.
Yesterday (March 10), 5FDP bassist Chris Kael noted that most who "start the path to sobriety don’t make it a full year. I've seen firsthand the work that Ivan has done ... to get himself to this HUGE milestone."
He continued in the Instagram post, "I’ve seen the amazing, positive changes in him over this past year that have gotten closer and closer to the man we all knew he could be. I’m proud of you, my friend. As are countless people you have inspired along the way. Keep that shit up!"
Moody himself also took to social media to commemorate his one year sober anniversary. Lamenting the fact that many in recovery don't succeed, the vocalist is seen stifling tears in the touching clip shared online yesterday.
"I'm speechless, man," Moody addressed Five Finger Death Punch fans in the vid. "A lot of people didn't think I'd make it 24 hours. And, to be honest with you, there were times I didn't either. But I have a great team around me."
Last year, the musician broke his silence about his rehabilitation in a candid interview with radio station WZOR 94.7. During the talk, Moody drew a grim illustration of his state of mind while in the throes of alcohol addiction.
"When I was drunk, I knew how my life was gonna end," he said. "I planned on it. I was not gonna wake up one day or go into seizure and die. It’s just I was comfortable because I knew what was gonna happen. And now being sober, I don’t know how I'm gonna go and that’s a scary fucking thing, and I've met a lot of addicts that feel the same way."
Moody says he wants to leave something more for his listeners to remember him by, and the musician speaks of the many tragic, early deaths of some of the musicians who carried the creative torch for rock music.
"I just don’t want my legacy to be [dying from substance abuse],” Moody said. “Chester [Bennington] and Chris [Cornell] and Scott [Weiland] and Layne [Staley], Lynn [Strait] — Lynn was like my older brother from Snot. All these guys are forgotten. … I listen to a Linkin Park song now and I can hear him crying for help."
Update: To mark his one year of sobriety, Five Finger Death Punch vocalist Ivan Moody got a facial tattoo of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Check out his Instagram posts below featuring photos and video.
Here Are the 66 Most Important Moments in Metal History