Jason Hook can’t talk about the Five Finger Death Punch departure rumors

Well, it looks like Five Finger Death Punch may be going through a lineup change.

This week, Jason Hook shared an Instagram video addressing his departure rumors. Captioning the video “end of an era,” Hook says he’s been issued a gag order and can’t talk about details. Soon after the video’s release, however, it was swiftly removed from social media.

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Rumors about Hook’s departure from Five Finger Death Punch have been swirling over the past few months. Back in 2019, Hook had to undergo gallbladder surgery which forced the band to postpone three tour dates.

When the band began touring in Europe at the start of 2020, however, Hook had to tap out early. According to Five Finger Death Punch’s official statement, the guitarist needed “additional time for his recovery.” As a result, ex-Fields of the Nephilim member Andy James stepped in as Hook’s fill-in for the tour.

This past August, however, departure rumors really began to swirl. When Five Finger Death Punch hit one million Instagram followers, they shared a photo in celebration of the milestone.

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In the photograph, James can be seen standing on stage with the band while Hook is nowhere to be found. Many fans speculate that the photo may have confirmed Hook is no longer in Five Finger Death Punch.

As well, Five Finger Death Punch were recently featured on Spotify‘s Kickass Metal playlist. However, the band’s latest promo photo does not feature Hook, further fueling the rumors he has left the band.

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[Photo via Spotify
Now, Hook himself is finally addresses his departure rumors. The guitarist, who got married on Oct. 3, is currently on his honeymoon in Mexico, but took some time out of his vacation to offer an update to fans.

Despite the importance of Hook’s statement to so many listeners, the video was deleted within hours of it being uploaded. However, the PRP managed to partly transcribe his statement before the video was removed.

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“I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all of the fans of Five Finger Death Punch for all of the messages that you’ve been sending me about you know what,” he says. “I’ve kinda been issued a gag order, so I’m not saying anything. But I’m very excited about the things I’m working on and I’m looking forward to sharing them with everybody.”

He further shares that the band and himself plan to release a “mutually agreed on press release” when “the time is right.” Despite the rather vague statement, Hook reveals that he has plenty of music on the way in the future.

“I’ve got tons of new songs that I’m gonna release and I want people to hear them,” he says. “I don’t expect to make money, I don’t expect to climb the top of charts. I didn’t care about any of that… the music business is sort of in the toilet, so it’s not really about that anymore. I’ve got eight projects on the go and I’m excited about every one of them.”

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[Photo via Jason Hook on Instagram
So, it looks like Hook may have left Five Finger Death Punch after all. For now, we will have to wait and see if that “mutually agreed on press release” ever arrives.

What are your thoughts on Jason Hook leaving Five Finger Death Punch? Let us know in the comments below.