Ivan Moody (vocalist)

Moody was born Ivan Lewis Greening in Denver, Colorado, on January 7, 1975.[1] 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]

Moody performing with Five Finger Death Punch in 2016

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 re-union 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.

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).

Bass guitarist Chris Kael said of Moody:[8]

"I had a shitty attitude when he left [the European tour in June]. I was fucking pissed about the whole thing, but I understood he had to go get his stuff taken care of. When he came back, I really wasn't sure what to expect. I had a bad attitude about it, too. I've talked to him about this. We chatted it out over coffee at the Hard Rock [Café] the other day, talking about all the feelings that were involved with that. Kind of a little 'band therapy,' not quite 'Some Kind Of Monster' therapy [referring to METALLICA's 2004 documentary], but we were talking about it. I had attitude, I had a bad taste in my mouth. When I first saw him in that dressing room back in the States for the first festival date, even before we got onstage, I was, like, 'Something is different about this guy now.' It made me relax a little bit. I was, like, 'All right, I'm not going to be so aggressive. I'm not going to bust his ass like I wanted to.' Then he got onstage and his voice was just… [as] soon as those first notes came out and his attitude and his energy, I was, like, 'That's Ivan Moody. That's the beast that fronts this band.' He's back and things are great. We're getting along like we ever have in quite some time. The last three years were a little tumultuous. As dangerous as we were when we're volatile, I think we're even more dangerous when we're focused and stable."

Moody has a daughter born in 1998.[4][3] He owns a CBD dispensery called Moody's Medicinals.[9]

Motograter was voted the best band of 2003 by Hit Parader.[17] 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.

• Bled (2009) (as Incubus)
• The Devil's Carnival (2012) (as the hobo clown)

• Five Finger Death Punch's official website