Who Is Tommy Vext, the Fill-In Singer for Five Finger Death Punch?

Earlier today (June 14), it was revealed that Ivan Moody was taking leave from Five Finger Death Punch in the midst of their European tour after the singer admitted that he had "fallen off the wagon" again. With Moody stepping away for the time being, it was announced that Tommy Vext would be filling in on vocals for the remainder of the European tour.

Vext was actually on hand at the band's troublesome Netherlands show earlier this week and sang two songs before Moody took the stage with the band and proclaimed it was his "last show" with FFDP. With Vext stepping into the spotlight, we wanted to take a closer look at the rocker's background prior to helping out FFDP.

Vext may be familiar to many fans for his work throughout the current millennium, initially rocking out in Divine Heresy and then leading the reunion of Snot. Divine Heresy was formed by Fear Factory's Dino Cazares and Devolved drummer John Sankey, though Tim Yeung took over on drums by the time their Bleed the Fifth album with Vext arrived in 2007. Vext's tenure with the band was cut short when he was ousted from the group following an onstage altercation with Cazares at an April 2008 show.

The singer next turned up with Snot, the group that had disbanded after the death of vocalist Lynn Strait in 1998. The band regrouped in 2008 with Vext handling the vocal duties for a short while. He turned up with Snot again in 2014 but left shortly thereafter.

In addition to his work as a musician, the singer also became a sober life coach and a mentor in 2012, helping to meet with others dealing with sobriety-related issues. That same year he founded his own band called Vext.

Vext's musical journey next took him to Westfield Massacre, a band that features guitarists Ira Black and Stephen Brewer, bassist Erik Tising and drummer Dio Britto. The band released their self-titled debut disc in April 2016 and performed at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest last fall. But earlier this week it was revealed that Vext was leaving the band, being replaced by vocalist Seann Nicols (Quiet Riot, Bobby Blotzer's Ratt, Adler's Appetite).

The vocalist has started up a new band called Bad Wolves and he teases via his Facebook page that new music is coming this week. That leads us up to the present, where Vext has stepped in to help out Five Finger Death Punch. The singer was already on hand at their show earlier this week and in his statement, he explained, “It is a tremendous honor to share the stage with Five Finger Death Punch on these remaining dates.Today I am blessed with over eight years of sobriety, so I can certainly empathize with Ivan’s struggles. Not only do I feel a responsibility to deliver for the fans of Five Finger Death Punch on these remaining dates, but also to deliver for Ivan so he can get back to work as soon as he is healthy."

Vext will help Five Finger Death Punch finish up their current European tour, and you can stay up to date with his band Bad Wolves via their social media. For now, take a look at the Bad Wolves' "Learn to Live" video below. In the interim, look for Vext fronting Five Finger Death Punch on tour.

Bad Wolves, "Learn to Live"

Divine Heresy, "Failed Creation" 

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