Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody said in a new interview with Metal Hammer that he would have died if he had tried to complete the band's 2016 tour.
Moody's struggles with alcohol abuse came to a head in November 2016, when the band has to cut a show short due to his erratic behavior. All That Remains singer Phil Labonte finished out the trek while Moody headed to rehab.
Moody recalled, “At first, man, I was f**king livid, but Phil’s a blessing, man. That guy saved the day for me. If I would’ve finished that European tour, I’d have died on the plane ride home.”
It was the first of several attempts to get clean. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory told us that for a while the band didn't know if their singer would survive: “Ivan was in a very difficult situation. Went back many, many times to rehab and, you know, at moments he looked like he's not gonna make it. And sometimes it looks like he's gonna be a statistic — he's gonna be another rock star that didn't make it, you know?”
More incidents, missed shows and trips to rehab took place over the course of the next year, and it was late 2018 when Moody finally turned the corner. Moody credited fellow vocalists Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Korn's Jonathan Davis with giving him support along the way as he's now reached 19 months of sobriety.
Five Finger Death Punch's new album, F8, is due out on February 28th, with the band launching a spring North American tour on April 8th in Sunrise, Florida.