Ivan Moody

Ivan L. Moody (born Ivan Lewis Greening on January 7, 1980)[1] is an American singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch (FFDP). He performed for several other bands including Motograter and Ghost Machine before joining FFDP. Moody was known by the pseudonym "Ghost" during his time with Motograter.

For the British composer, see Ivan Moody (composer).
Ivan Moody
Moody with Five Finger Death Punch in 2017
Background information
Birth nameIvan Lewis Greening
Also known as"Ghost"
Born (1980-01-07) January 7, 1980
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Labels
Associated acts

Early life

Moody was born Ivan Lewis Greening[2] in Denver, Colorado. Growing up, he lived in several smaller cities in the area, including Arvada, Castle Rock, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and Northglenn.[3] He said he spent a few summers with his grandmother in La Crosse, Wisconsin. "My grandmother put me in choir when I was about seven years old. I was only in it about two or three years. Music's always been real close to my heart. Like anybody else, there were ups and downs in my life and music just always seemed to be consistent, so it was easy to latch on to. I started singing in bands when I was 16 years old. They used to kick me out of bars after my set was done."[4]

Career
Moody during Rock on the Range 2010 in Columbus, Ohio

Moody moved to Los Angeles in 2001, adopting his mother's maiden name, Moody. In L.A. he joined his first band called Toiz. The band played a few shows around the Los Angeles area in 2002 and made a demo which was not released. The following year, he joined the nu metal band Motograter. They released their self-titled studio album on June 24, 2003. They gained some mainstream success playing the second stage at Ozzfest 2003 and touring with bands like Korn, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson, Nothingface, Slipknot, Mushroomhead, and Killswitch Engage. Motograter went on a hiatus in 2005 but played a one-time reunion show in 2006 at the Delicious Rox Festival. Moody also made songs with old roommates and family members, Ryan Morrow (bass), Bill Stonebraker (guitar), and Jim "Dugan" Demongey (drums), calling themselves Black Blood Orchestra.

Moody joined the heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch and his side project Ghost Machine released their debut self-titled album on July 26, 2005. Ghost Machine released their second album, Hypersensitive, on November 21, 2006. In the same year, Five Finger Death Punch entered the studio to record their debut album at Next Level Studios and Complex Studios in Los Angeles with Steve Bruno and Mike Sarkisyan. The album was produced by guitarist Zoltan Bathory and drummer Jeremy Spencer and was mixed by former Machine Head and Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader.

Moody performing in 2016

Five Finger Death Punch achieved rapid commercial success: their debut album, The Way of the Fist (2007) has currently sold over 600,000 copies in the United States and spawned three top 10 singles. Their second album, War is the Answer (2009), sold more than 44,000 copies in its first week of release, spawned five top 10 singles, and has gone on to sell more than 700,000 copies. Their even more successful third record American Capitalist debuted number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over 90,000 copies in its first week. It was the band's third consecutive RIAA-certified Gold record. On July 30, 2013, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 was released, selling over 210,000 copies. Roughly four months later, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2 was released, rising to number 2 on the Billboard 200, and notable for its single, "Battle Born".

Five Finger Death Punch played many major tours and festivals, including Korn's Family Values and Bitch We Have a Problem tours, the Jägermeister Stage at Mayhem Festival in 2008 and the main stage at Mayhem Festival in 2010 and 2013. They also performed at Download Festival in 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2015, and the Monster Stage at Rock on the Range in Columbus, Ohio in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014, as well as at Rockfest 2012 in Kansas City.

Moody was interviewed for the book Full Metal: The 50 Most Influential Heavy Metal Songs of the 1980s and the True Stories Behind Their Lyrics. He discusses the impact of Metallica's "Fade to Black" on him as a lyricist, in a chapter about the song that also examines its social and cultural significance.

In 2009, Moody starred in the horror film Bled, playing the role of Incubus. He co-starred alongside Shawn Crahan in Darren Lynn Bousman's short horror musical film The Devil's Carnival, which screened in April 2012.[5]

On June 12, 2017, Moody stated during a concert in Tilburg, Netherlands, that it will be his last show with Five Finger Death Punch. The band released a statement saying they would keep moving forward.[6] Moody checked himself into rehab and was replaced for the remaining dates by vocalist Tommy Vext.[7] As of December 2019, Moody had returned to touring with Five Finger Death Punch, stating he had been sober for the past 22 months (since early 2018).

Moody was arrested by the Australian Federal Police on February 22, 2014, in Sydney, charged with drunkenly assaulting a female flight attendant on his Qantas flight from Brisbane. The band performed without him in Sydney and Melbourne.[8]

On April 21, 2015, Moody was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with domestic battery by strangulation. The police were called to Moody's hotel room on a report of domestic abuse towards Holly Smith, Moody's partner of 17 years. According to the police report, Moody strangled Smith with a jiu-jitsu hold and said, "I’m going to fucking kill you!" before repeatedly punching her. Smith was found with visible injuries and scratches at the back of her throat from a blanket being shoved into her mouth. Moody was released on $15,000 bail.[9][10] The battery charges were dropped in July, but Smith filed a restraining order.[11] Smith filed for divorce in August with evidence of a continuous pattern of domestic abuse, including photographs of her bloody eye and busted blood vessels.[12]

In August 2015, it was revealed that Moody's sister, Sandra Dykes, along with his mother, had filed restraining orders against Moody. Dykes alleged that Moody has a "history of violence with women", and filed the restraining order after Moody accused her, his mother, and his daughter of stealing money from him.[13]

Personal life

Moody has a daughter born in 1998.[4][3] He owns a CBD dispensery called Moody's Medicinals.[14]

In 2012, Moody revealed that his alcohol problem had nearly got him fired from Five Finger Death Punch. Moody said he would perform drunk and not remember any of it the next day. Moody says that he "felt like a junkie and from that extreme, it takes a lot of effort to go back."[15] Moody references his alcoholism and its battles in the video "I Apologize",[16] where Moody is walking through a graveyard filled with musicians that have died struggling with addiction. In November 2016, Moody cut a concert short in Worcester, claiming that his mother was dying that night. Concertgoers reported that he appeared drunk, and was assisted off the stage. His younger sister told a reporter that their mother was "alive and well".[17] In June 2017, Moody left a Five Finger Death Punch tour for rehab.[18] He claims that CBD products helped him overcome his alcoholism.[14]

Awards and nominations

Motograter was voted the best band of 2003 by Hit Parader.[19] Five Finger Death Punch has won several awards including The Best New Band award at the 2009 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, the Most Promising Artist award from FMQB's 2009 year-end Metal poll. They were also nominated for the Best International Newcomer award at 2009 Kerrang! Awards and won the Best Breakthrough Band award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. Best Song for "Lift Me Up" at the 2014 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.

Discography

Motograter

There are also four Motograter demos with Moody on lead vocals, including "Down (2002 Demo)", "No Name (2002 Demo)", "Red (2002 Demo)", and "Failure (Live 2004)".

Ghost Machine

After Hypersensitive, Ghost Machine started working on a remix album that they had to put on the back burner because of the success of Five Finger Death Punch. Four remixes were released for stream on the band's MySpace music remix page: "God Forbid (Black Cape Remix)", "Vegas Moon (Pete Murray Remix)", "Siesta Loca (Steven's Organic Drum Remix)" and "Burning Bridges (Depression Remix)".

Five Finger Death Punch
Main article: Five Finger Death Punch discography

Guest appearances
List of guest appearances in other types of albums with other performing artists, showing year released and album name.
Year Title Other performer(s) Album
2012 "A Penny for a Tale" N/A The Devil's Carnival
2019 "Outlaws & Outsiders" Cory Marks Who I Am
2020 "Maybe It's Time"[20] Sixx:A.M. featuring Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, Corey Taylor, Awolnation and Tommy Vext) Sno Babies

Filmography

References
  1. Blabbermouth (January 7, 2020). "FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's JASON HOOK: IVAN MOODY Is 'One Of The Most Special People In My Life'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET.
  2. "Police disclose arrest of Five Finger Death Punch singer at Vegas hotel". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 13, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  3. "TGIvan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch grew up here and still has a love for Colorado". westword.com/. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  4. "TGetting friendly with Five Finger Death Punch (2007)". Dabelly.com/. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  5. "The Devil's Carnival (2012)". IMDb.com. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  6. "NEWS: Ivan Moody calls Tilburg his "last show" in Five Finger Death Punch! - DEAD PRESS! - It's more than "just music" to us". www.deadpress.co.uk.
  7. "Ivan Moody To Sit Out FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH European Tour, Checks Back Into Rehab". Metal Injection. June 14, 2017.
  8. "Five Finger Death Punch singer faces court after "unruly behaviour" on Qantas flight". FasterLouder. February 26, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  9. "Five Finger Death Punch Singer -- Wife Files For Divorce After Getting Strangled In Jiu-Jitsu Chokehold". TMZ.
  10. "Police disclose arrest of Five Finger Death Punch singer at Vegas hotel". August 13, 2015.
  11. "Five Finger Death Punch Singer -- Wife and Sister Plead ... Get to Rehab, STAT!". TMZ.
  12. Pasbani, Robert (August 12, 2015). "FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Frontman's Wife Files For Divorce, Claims Domestic Violence". Metal Injection. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  13. Pasbani, Robert (August 13, 2015). "FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Frontman Ivan Moody's Sister Has A Restraining Order Against Him". Metal Injection. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  14. https://loudwire.com/moodys-medicinals-ivan-moody-five-finger-death-punch-interview/
  15. "Five Finger Spencer thought drugs had killed him – Metal Hammer". Metalhammer.teamrock.com. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  16. "Five Finger Death Punch's Ivan Moody Digs Own Grave in 'I Apologize' Video". loudwire.com. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  17. "Ivan Moody Suffers Meltdown, Cancels Five Finger Death Punch Concert". November 28, 2016.
  18. "Five Finger Death Punch Singer Ivan Moody Details Rehab Stay, Plans Stage Return in August". Billboard.
  19. "Former MOTOGRATER Frontman Resurfaces In FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH". Roadrunnerreocrds.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  20. "Maybe It's Time (feat. Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, Corey Taylor, AWOLNATION & Tommy Vext) - Single by Sixx:A.M. on Apple Music". Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Apple Music.
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