Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory has admitted he took no action while a spat bewteen Ivan Moody and Jeremy Spencer became an infamous onstage meltdown.
A private argument between the pair became public at a show in Tennessee in May, with drummer Spencer walking off, followed by his bandmates, leaving frontman Moody on his own.
Moody later said that the incident was down to technical issues while Spencer admitted the band weren’t proud of the incident.
Now Bathory Sirius XM: “Ivan is a party animal – or used to be a party animal. He used to have problems with alcohol because it’s just so easy.
“Ivan was pretty much down on that slope at the time. Add a little alcohol, a little bit of technical difficulties and things were going sideways.”
He continues: “I could have stepped in, but I wanted to see the slow-motion car crash myself. I think it had to happen. He had to wake up, sort of hit the wall. It was something I felt had to happen in order to avoid a bigger catastrophe later.”
Bathory says the decision to leave the stage was taken because Moody’s actions had left the rest of the band ”pissed off.” He adds: ”I think at that moment he realised without your band, without your team, you’re nothing. Nobody’s bigger than the band – that’s what makes a good band. The sum of all of us is something more than we are individually.”
5FPD released latest album Got Your Six last month. They’re currently on tour across North America and return to Europe with Papa Roach in November.
