IMAGINE DRAGONS singer Dan Reynolds issued a statement on his Instagram to address “critics and other bands saying extremely harsh things” about his band.
These included SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor, who said NICKELBACK “are passing the baton” to “awful” IMAGINE DRAGONS as “the scapegoat of rock and roll,” as well as SLAYER and EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt, who called IMAGINE DRAGONS “the sh*ttiest band on earth.”
Dan‘s post read as follows:
“For a decade now I’ve dealt with critics and other bands saying extremely harsh things about my band. Not what I would call ‘fair criticism’ (which I always try best to receive and learn from) but actual click-bait horse sh*t.
“Words filled with vile and hate meant to feed humanities need to laugh at each other’s imperfection and fails.
“I’ve stood silently and taken it for years. It has added to the depression I’ve dealt with since youth. I don’t say this in search of sympathy, but just as a fact.
“It’s not the person that causes me the feelings of stress and depression, but what it does to the world we as a band have created. How it could possibly make a kid feel ‘not cool’ listening to Imagine Dragons. I hate that thought.
“Wondering if my kids will be made fun of as they grow older because someone thinks my band isn’t cool.
“I’ve gotten over the fact that guys in other bands (the 1975, Foster the People, Smashing Pumpkins, Slipknot, etc.) feel a need to talk badly about my band for whatever reason.
“I don’t feel anger towards them actually, just more of a sadness that this industry embraces, even celebrates this mentality. I wish it felt like a place where artists stood by each other and supported one another – regardless of our different tastes and voices.
“My bandmates are some of my best friends. We are authentically ourselves and strive to bring positivity and empowerment to the world. We’ll continue to do just that.”
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.