Five Finger Death Punch Seek to Leave Prospect Park Label in New Legal Action
Around this time last year, Prospect Park surprised many when they took legal action against Five Finger Death Punch, claiming that the band was not cooperating with plans to deliver a new studio album and a greatest hits set as required by their contract. Now, a year later, Five Finger Death Punch are returning fire with a lawsuit of their own.
According to TMZ, the band state in new lawsuit that they are being held hostage by their "sinking ship" of a label, and they're asking a judge to free them from their contract. TMZ reports that the band claim to be the only profitable act on the label's roster and they accuse the label of cooking up the lawsuit last year to keep the band recording while they shopped the label to prospective buyers.
The label had also claimed in their legal action last year that the group was trying to cash in "before the anticipated downfall" of singer Ivan Moody. Moody sought treatment last year for addiction issues. Not long after the initial Prospect Park lawsuit went public, Five Finger Death Punch responded by stating that they were fully prepared to deliver the final album as part of the contract and that the lawsuit was designed to "hold them hostage." They also stated that Moody had entered rehab and that the label never attempted to help with his sobriety and pushed him to continue touring and recording.
Later last year, Five Finger Death Punch announced that they had inked a deal with Rise Records for a recording deal set to begin after their final disc with Prospect Park. In the process of signing, guitarist Zoltan Bathory stated, “We are looking forward to the next phase of our recording career. We have had great success with our current label, Prospect Park, and will continue to enjoy further success with our next and final album (subject to surmounting the label’s court action to prevent us from recording it), after which we will commence a new and exciting label partnership with the people at Rise and BMG.”
Meanwhile, in a separate interview, guitarist Jason Hook also addressed the signing stating, "The nuts and bolts of it is that it takes a good, focused team to do all of the things that need to be done for a record and its cycle. And we’re not delusional about knowing that a good team and a good label is just healthy and good for us. And Rise — it’s a very hard-working, no-bullcrap, focused label and they work hard."
Just after the turn of the year, Hook posted an Instagram photo of himself listening back to the band's new album in his car for the first time. So it appears as though Five Finger Death Punch have completed the disc in question, but the hold up is whether they will have to deliver it to Prospect Park or if their new legal action will allow them to move on. TMZ reports that Prospect Park says the real issue is that the band still hasn't delivered the album "required under the recording contract and expected by their fans."
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