SLIPKNOT kicked off its summer 2022 European tour last night (Wednesday, July 20) at Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania. Support on the trek is coming from JINJER and VENDED, the band fronted by Griffin Taylor, son of SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor.
Griffin joined his father’s band on stage in the Romanian capital to perform “Custer”, the third single from SLIPKNOT‘s fifth studio album, “.5: The Gray Chapter”, which came out in 2014. Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.
In a December 2021 interview with Knotfest‘s Ryan J. Downey, Griffin was asked if he pays attention to the feedback his Iowa-based metal band has received in the weeks since it released its debut single. He said”: “For me, I do see people’s responses to it, and I get a lot of great responses, because I love the crowd — I love the fans because they’ve been there for my dad and they will be there for me and I will not force them to be. But we do get backlash because of the comparison and the similarities [to SLIPKNOT]. But we are different. And there have been times where I’ve read some hate comments on YouTube and I literally went into the bathtub, filled the bathtub up and just immediately started crying. I was just so fucking in a bad place before we got here. And now I’m in a good place because I’m with my friends.”
VENDED‘s lineup is completed by Simon Crahan (son of SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan) on drums and Connor Grodzicki on rhythm guitar.
Formed in February of 2018, VENDED exhibits a furiously heavy sound built upon the foundations laid by the speed, power and precision of the rhythm section, layered with ferocious guitars, soul crushing solos and gutteral-yet-melodic vocals that portray the hardships and the harsh realities of life.
VENDED had its first mainstream exposure in 2020 when its performed as part of Knotfest.com‘s virtual “Pulse Of The Maggots” festival.
VENDED played its first headlining show in March 2020 at the iconic local club Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, Iowa.
Griffin, who looks a lot like his father, previously showcased his skills when he joined Corey onstage during STONE SOUR shows in 2017 and 2018. According to The Pulse Of Radio, he’s also played cover tunes with Simon Crahan, while Clown‘s daughter Alexandria Crahan-Conway has snapped some of VENDED‘s previous press pics.