In a new chat with the On The Road To Rock podcast with Clint Switzer, Jason Hook said he feels freer in his new band Flat Black, compared to Five Finger Death Punch.
The guitarist said that Flat Black is a natural progression from FFDP because he was heavily involved in their records. So, he felt a lot of stress and pressure:
“I was the one that would feel the stress and the pressure of… That thing was moving at Mach 10 at all times. So, we would come off tour and they’d be, like, ‘You’re gonna start a record in three weeks.’ And I’d be, like, ‘F*ck.’ So out of panic, I would just sit up here and just prepare, prepare, prepare.”
Hook Can Work Freely In Flat Black
Hook doesn’t need approval from others in Flat Black:
“It was a group effort — I’m not trying to take any credit away from anyone else — but I took those records dead serious, and I put a lot of work into those records. So if you’re hearing anything that sounds familiar, that’s why. And the only difference is that when I do something now, I don’t have to run it by a committee for approval, which was — I found that frustrating.”
How Did Flat Black Come Together?
The musician formed Flat Black with singer Wes Horton, bassist Nick Diltz, and drummer Rob Pierce last year. In an interview with Jake Daniels of Rock 100.5 The KATT, Hook explained how the group was formed:
“Well, I was pretty hell-bent on starting a new band. Music’s in my blood. It’s a part of my DNA, and I just knew that… I didn’t really care how long it took. It just had to be potent. And so, one [musician] at a time… I found Rob first, and he’s awesome. And then, of course, Nick; he’s from Los Angeles. All my guys are just stellar players. And I wanted to have a good pack of songs. And so here we are.”
Hook also mentioned the importance of getting along with bandmates personally. He wanted mentally stable, drama-free members because touring means spending a lot of time together. He chose personalities carefully, and now they’re getting along great.
Flat Black’s debut album ‘Dark Side of the Brain’ will drop on July 19. The band had their first live performance on August 24, 2023, at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, opening for Godsmack.
You can watch the rest of Hook’s interview below.