By now, the name Vended should be on the radar of any modern metal fan. Their name has become synonymous with Slipknot as the band features Simon Crahan and Griffin Taylor, the respective sons of percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan and vocalist Corey Taylor. While they don't mind the inevitable comparison between the two groups, the younger Crahan asserts he's a better drummer than his father and even predicts that Griffin will be "better than his dad" as well.
The band, who released the What Is It/Kill It EP last year followed by the new single "Ded to Me" earlier this year, is as tenacious as can be, eager to prove themselves as more than two young men thriving in the shadow of their fathers.
“I want everyone to know, Vended is going to be the biggest band in the world. We have stuff cooking that’s going to make fucking people shit their pants," Crahan tells Metal Hammer of his band's ambitions.
Addressing detractors who claim that Vended, which is also comprised of Connor Grodzicki (guitar),Cole Espeland (guitar) and Jeremiah Pugh (bass), are merely coasting due to who Simon and Griffin's fathers are, the drummer states, “When people say that kind of thing, I respond back with a clown emoji to be an asshole. It’s not like my dad handed everything to us. His fans are the ones who decided to like us. If you don’t like us, you could just not say anything, but you choose to waste five minutes of your day to say something that’s going to make me laugh my fucking ass off, because I know that I am succeeding. I say, ‘Where is your band?’”
Stylistically, there are obvious similarities between Vended and Slipknot's music, but Crahan doesn't let it weigh on him too heavily. He chalks their sound up to blending different musical approaches while letting each musician in the band be true to themselves and their individual talents. As for the inevitable comparison, the drummer adds, “I personally don’t have a problem with people relating us to Slipknot. I mean look at our fathers, it’s going to be there. I play drums better than my father and that’s a fact, and when people say Griffin sounds like his dad, well duh, that’s obvious. I honestly think he is going to be better than his dad."
It may sound like a bond declaration, but Simon is also keen to listen to advice his father has to offer, such as steering Vended away from touring back in 2018. "He was like, ‘You guys are literally 14, you don’t need to go on tour. Trust me. Just wait and you’ll not regret it.’And he was right. If we’d gone on tour back then, we would have probably sucked."
On the flip side, both Corey Taylor and Clown were both recently caught on video watching Vended open for Slipknot in Europe, standing on the side of the stage with big smiles on their faces. Griffin also jumped onstage with Slipknot late last month to sing part of "Custer."
Catch Vended on tour in North America starting Sept. 6 as they open for In Flames, Fit For An Autopsy and Orbit Culture — head to this location for tickets. Meanwhile, Slipknot will embark on a brief U.S. run from late September through early October with Ice Nine Kills and Crown the Empire at these dates. For tickets, head here.
