Five Finger Death Punch frontman Ivan Moody has offered clarity on the Motograter situation, after rumors of him reuniting with the band began surfacing online. Those rumors were attributed to commentary on social media shared by a former member of the band, Michael “The Kidd” Stewart.
In a since-deleted video posted on his Instagram stories, Moody explained he isn’t rejoining the group, but rather, “protecting its legacy.” To that end he has obtained the trademarks to the group and their namesake instrument and plans to serve as a creative director of sorts for the outfit going forward. Motograter have had a turbulent career, with numerous departures playing out in the public eye.
Moody said his move to secure the band’s trademarks is part of a bid to not let the group’s identity be “abused or misused”. He elaborated on that:
“Through the years I’ve watched, the last two decades I’ve watched that project whittle out into dust on a memory. And it hurt. And knowing that there was so much involved with that and the way that there was so much potential and it was X’d out.”
“When [Noah “Shark” Robertson (Motograter drummer) and I] started talking, it became very evident to me that there was a lot of people in play. And there was a lot of crap, man. So I decided to buy it. And that’s what I did. I bought the trademark for Motograter and the Machine. And I patented it, the whole spiel. That way, nobody could take it anymore and it couldn’t be abused or misused.”
Moody also expressed his ire for Stewart in starting the rumors about him rejoining the group, stating:
“First and foremost, to Michael ‘The Kidd’ Stewart, you bottom-feeding bubbleheaded boob. How dare you step on my toes, spreading rumors and causing commotion. I was so pissed off when I read all that man. This Michael fucking Stewart guy. Who the fuck do you think you are dude? Fucking peon.”
Moody was an early member of Motograter and in the early 2000s and went on to find fame with Five Finger Death Punch after exiting.
[via Metal Injection]
