Tommy Vext

Thomas Cummings (born April 15, 1982), better known under the stage name Tommy Vext, is an American heavy metal singer and songwriter known as the former lead vocalist of Bad Wolves, Snot, Divine Heresy, and Westfield Massacre.

Tommy Vext
Vext with Bad Wolves at Rock am Ring 2019
Background information
Birth nameThomas Cummings
Born (1982-04-15) April 15, 1982
New York City, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2000–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitebadwolvesnation.com

Career
Vext performing at Nova Rock 2017

Early career[1]

Vext began his music career in Brooklyn, New York as a teenager singing in local hardcore bands and engaging in freestyle rap battles with the neighborhood's preeminent hopefuls. Being too young, Vext had to sneak into clubs even for his own shows. In 1996, he formed the band Maniacal Disciple with friends Jim Donovan, Steve Perlmutter, and Mike Kontaras, eventually changing their name to "Vext" (a word he found in Wu-Tang Clan's lyrics), which eventually became his nickname after he started to be known as "Tommy Vext" in the New York hardcore scene. Vext was a local buzz band, playing shows at CBGB, The Continental, and Lamours. They also opened for Biohazard, Candiria, and many others. In 2005, at the Roadrunner Records 25th-anniversary show, Vext was invited to sing with Corey Taylor of Slipknot.[2]

Divine Heresy[1]

In 2006, Vext was recruited by Dino Cazares of Fear Factory to front his new band Divine Heresy. Their debut studio album Bleed the Fifth was released in the United States on August 28, 2007, through Century Media Records. The album was produced by former Machine Head and Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader.

Bleed the Fifth enjoyed a warm welcome from both the fans and the press. Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer summarized his review by saying "All in all, the portly pioneer has hit the bull's-eye and it's going to be fascinating to see what happens next", awarding an eight out of a possible 10.[3] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic felt the album "strikes a near-perfect balance between confirmation (reminding fans of Cazares' abilities and unique vision) and innovation (he even plays a few guitar solos!)".[4] Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth.net summarized his review claiming the album is "one tough son of a bitch that may still have you humming melodies long after you've ejected the disc".[5] Chad Bowar of About.com commented "Great musicianship, good songs and excellent production make this a very respectable debut".[6]

Vext wrote the majority of the lyrics, which are about personal strifes and how people overcome them. Much of the lyrical content was influenced by the Book of Revelation, natural disasters, war, and terrorism.[7]

In May 2008, Vext was fired from Divine Heresy after a physical altercation with Cazares.[8][9] The split left both the fans and the press confused. In an exclusive Metal Injection interview, Vext explained the real reasons behind his departure from the band:

I've been suffering the indignities of Dino's massive ego for as long as I've worked with him, and unfortunately, everything I've heard about him had eventually come to fruition, and he is exactly as he's been portrayed as by his ex-band members. And this happening now is the same reason why he's not in Fear Factory anymore. It was a stepping stone in my life and I'm moving on.[10]

— Tommy Vext

The whole band rejected his statement and responded by saying, "[i]t is unfortunate that our situation with Tommy Cummings has become so ugly. ... The decision to remove Tommy Cummings from Divine Heresy was not solely Dino Cazares'. It was a decision we made as a band".[8]

In September 2014, Vext returned in a new version of Divine Heresy with drummer Tim Yeung.[9]

Later bassist Joe Payne and drummer Tim Yeung both broke ties with Dino and on July 27, 2015, in an interview with MetalSucks, Cazares confirmed that he was the only remaining member of Divine Heresy.[11]

Snot[1]

Snot is an American metal band from Santa Barbara, California. Formed in 1995, the band released their debut studio album Get Some with founding vocalist Lynn Strait in 1997 and disbanded after his death in 1998. In 2008, the band reformed, with Vext on vocals.[12] Snot has played a number of shows fronted by Vext, including a fall 2008 tour in the United States, supporting DevilDriver. When later original guitarist Sonny Mayo left the band, Snot went on hiatus again.

On February 11, 2014, Snot reunited the second time at the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood.[13][14] This second reunion line-up once again featured Vext, Mayo, Doling, Fahnestock and Miller. They went on to play three more shows in the Southern California area before once again going quiet.

Vext

In 2011 Tommy Vext reformed Vext with members of Mutiny Within, (Bill Fore, and Andrew Jacobs); along with guitar virtuoso Angel Vivaldi. They released the EP titled Impermanence. in 2012.[15] By 2013 Vivaldi and Jacobs had left the project, with Billy DiNapoli taking over on guitars. They released an EP titled Broke Is the New Black.[16]

Tommy Vext then had gone on tour with Mayhem Festival 2013 as a cook, and moved to Los Angeles after the tour.

Westfield Massacre[1]

After his stint with Snot, Vext moved on and formed a new band known as Westfield Massacre.[17] The band released their self-titled debut album on Urban Yeti Records 2016. In 2017, Vext began working on a side project with former DevilDriver drummer John Boecklin Vext left Westfield while he was on tour with Five Finger Death Punch.[18]

Fill-in for Five Finger Death Punch
Vext (right) performing alongside Ivan Moody at Rock im Park in 2017

Vext filled in as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch during their European Arena tour in 2017 when lead singer Ivan Moody left the tour to check into rehab.[19][20]

Bad Wolves

In 2016, Vext formed a new band, known as "Bad Wolves"[21] with former DevilDriver drummer John Boecklin. Guitarists Doc Coyle (Vagus Nerve, God Forbid) and Chris Cain (Bury Your Dead), and later, bassist Kyle Konkiel formerly of In This Moment were recruited for the project. During the summer of 2016, they entered AudioHammer Studios with longtime collaborator Mark Lewis (Trivium, All That Remains) and tracked what would become the group's debut studio album. On May 2, 2017, Bad Wolves independently premiered a song titled "Learn to Live" accompanied by a music video[22] The video was streamed over 600,000 times. In November 2017, it was announced[23] that Bad Wolves signed with Eleven Seven Music and Zoltan Bathory, the founding guitarist of Five Finger Death Punch, took them under his wings as the band's manager.

The band released their debut studio album, Disobey on May 11, 2018 through Eleven Seven Music.[24][25]

The album reached number 23 on the US Billboard 200. In May 2017, Bad Wolves released their debut single, "Learn to Live".[26] In November 2017, Bad Wolves released their second single, "Toast to the Ghost".[24] On January 18, 2018, they released a third single, which was a cover of "Zombie" (originally by The Cranberries), which charted on multiple Billboard charts.[27][28] The night of her death, Dolores O'Riordan left a voice message to her friend, record label executive Dan Waite, where she offered to "sing on it" on the cover that Waite had previously given O'Riordan to listen to and accredit. TMZ published this voice message on April 5, 2018.[29] A music video was released on February 22. The song topped the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, while the music video was viewed more than 170 million times. The single is certified platinum in Canada and the United States and gold in Germany.

The band toured with Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, and Starset for the first half of 2018.[30]

Vext parted ways with Bad Wolves on January 9, 2021.[31] Even though he originally said that he was "forced out by his former bandmates and record label,"[32] Vext came out with a public statement on January 11, 2021 stating that the choice to leave was all his.[33] Tommy Vext came out against the violence associated with the Black Lives Matter riots during the spring and summer of 2020, expressing his concern about the United States and publicly endorsing sitting President Donald Trump. He's quoted as saying, "And for this they came for me... Cancel culture came after my band...However, this is my fight, I realize I cannot drag my band members or the people around me into this. I on my own decided to go solo..."[33] The same day, John Boecklin and Doc Coyle responded to Vext's justifications during a live stream on Facebook, while not wishing to disclose anything about the reason for his departure, they indicated that it was not related to "cancel culture" or "his political beliefs". Boecklin said, "It was just past the point of going back".[34][35]

Awards and nominations

After plunging into drugs and alcohol in early 2009, Vext then decided to lead a sober life, and in 2014 founded a non-profit organization to help people suffering from the same addictions, with the aim of helping them find treatment. Vext received the Rock to Recovery 3 Service Award for his actions, held at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood on September 15, 2018.[36]

Bad Wolves became the first rock band in 2018 to reach platinum status for their cover song, "Zombie".[37]

Discography

Vext
  • 2004: Cast the First Stone
  • 2012: Impermanence (EP)
  • 2013: Broke Is the New Black (EP)

Divine Heresy

Westfield Massacre
  • 2016: Westfield Massacre

Bad Wolves

Guest appearances

Filmography
  • Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (short film, 2016) (as Drug Dealer)[38]

Controversies

On July 13, 2008, a physical confrontation broke out between Vext and Dino Cazares regarding differences of opinion about Divine Heresy, at Metal Mayhem Festival in San Bernardino.[39][40][41] Jennifer Cazares, claimed they were brutally attacked by Vext,[40] who gave uppercuts to her husband, Dino.[39] During the assault, Jennifer Cazares was punched (accidentally or voluntary) in the face by Vext, she said, "Last night at The Metal Mayhem Festival, having a great time with awesome friends backstage. Out of no where comes a beer and fist straight to my face (so horrifying and painful). That somebody... (Tommy Vext). He has my husband by the hair (it all was so sudden)".[40] The Live Nation guards intervened, trying to control Vext by keeping him grounded.[40] Jennifer Cazares commented that she was terrified by the corpulence of Vext, fearing for her life, adding that no woman should have to experience this.[40] At the time, Dino Cazares planned to take legal action against Vext.[39] The consequences had left fans divided, who took sides either for Vext or for [Dino] Cazares.[42]

Vext has been named in various assault allegations against his former girlfriend (Whitney Johns) in which he was to appear in court on December 9, 2020. There were separate incidences named in a lawsuit against Vext.[43][44]

In the court documents it was stated that:

"On April 10, 2020, [Vext] called [Johns] and stated that he wanted to kill himself and begged her to come to his residence. Feeling guilty and concerned, [Johns] went to [Vext's] residence to console him. The parties watched a movie and [Johns] stayed overnight; the parties were not intimate.

"On April 11, 2020, [Vext] asked [Johns] why they could not resume their dating relationship. [Johns] attempted to leave [Vext's] residence but he blocked the door and stated he wanted to finish the conversation with her. [Vext] is 6' 1" tall and approximately 260 pounds.

"When [Johns] attempted to calm [Vext], he mentioned a male friend of [Johns'] and lunged at her. She fell off the couch where she was sitting as [Vext] began to choke her. [Johns] screamed as the windows were open and she hoped that the neighbors would hear her. [Vext] then grabbed [Johns] by the hair and dragged her into his bedroom where he placed her in a chokehold. [Johns] almost lost consciousness when [Vext] appeared to realize what he was doing and let her go. [Johns] quickly collected her belongings and left the residence. [Vext] left visible finger marks on [Johns'] neck, and bruises on her chin and neck. [Johns] suffered from swollen knots on her head and had neck pain for several days after the incident.

"[Johns] immediately went to the local police station which was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but called the police who responded with paramedics. The police went to [Vext's] residence but he had left; when they called [Vext], he stated that he was with his lawyer. An Emergency Protective Order was issued on April 11, 2020 due to this incident, but it could not be served to [Vext] as he could not be located."

"In addition to these incidents, [Vext] has threatened to have [Johns] killed, 'send people after' her, get her Instagram account, which is a critical part of her business, deleted, and otherwise 'delete' her. [Vext] has also left disparaging comments on [Johns'] Instagram account, which is visible to her clients, potential Clients and business partners, and fans. (See Exhibit 5: [Vext's] Comments on Petitioner's Instagram Account.) Moreover, [Vext] stated to [Johns] that he has a friend in the Los Angeles Police Department who will quash any reports made against [Vext]. Finally, when the couple were dating, they made video recordings of themselves having sex. Respondent has threatened to release those recordings to the wider public."[43][44]

In April 2020, after a five-day virtual trial in California court,[41] Vext received a restraining order forbidding him from having any contact with Johns or approaching within 100 yards of her.[45] On December 8, 2020, Vext denied the accusations, saying that the allegations were "fake AF news" and "not true", adding, "Not even worth addressing this fake news bs".[45] Later, Vext claimed the allegations were an "extortion attempt" and that he had been "canceled" by the entertainment industry because he publicly supported Trump.[46] Subsequently, Johns was granted a two–year domestic violence restraining order against Vext.[32][41] According to a statement from Johns' lawyer, Vext's lawyer "made remarks on behalf of the singer" during the proceedings that "sent us not back decades but centuries in their inappropriate and unacceptable attitudes towards victims of domestic abuse".[41]

References
  1. The Ex Man Podcast 06 - Tommy Vext (Bad Wolves, ex-Westfield Massacre, ex-Snot, ex-Divine Heresy), retrieved September 7, 2018
  2. Roadrunner United Corey Taylor and Tommy Vext Singing, December 12, 2008, retrieved September 7, 2018
  3. "Bleed the Fifth reviews". RoadrunnerRecords.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
  4. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Bleed the Fifth > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
  5. Alisoglu, Scott. "Bleed the Fifth Roadrunner review". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
  6. Boward, Chad. "Bleed The Fifth About.com review". About.com. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
  7. Donnelly, Justin (September 12, 2007). "Divine Heresy: Heretic Anthems". The Metal Forge. Retrieved December 30, 2007.
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