Fear, Emptiness, Decibel: Todd Jones on Why Nails will Never Be a Full-Fledged Touring Entity

Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…

MetalSucks and dB told you again and again that Nails’ Abandon All Life was one of the best records of 2013. As Axl memorably put it, “[The album] keeps a portable defibrillator on its person at all times so that it can kill you, and then revive you in order to kill you again. Abandon All Life is the sound of someone shitting acid and pissing razors.” As for Decibel, we rewarded the unhinged, grinding, 10-songs-in-17-minutes epic with the #13 slot in our Top 40 Albums of the Year list. Long story short, Nails are the shit, so it was a no-brainer to spotlight them in the latest Converse x Decibel video.

That said, it was something of a surprise to learn that not only is frontman Todd Jones not a snarling bipedal rottweiler away from the mic, but an earnest, chill guy with a refreshingly even keel about the band’s standing in his life. He has a family and what sounds like a pretty choice IT job, and providing for the wife and kids is (understandably) priority number one. Hence, much of this video explains that, while Nails is Jones’ primary creative outlet, the band will never be a full-fledged touring entity. So, bad news if you wanna stage-dive during “In Exodus” twice a year, but good news if you want a favorite band worth cheering for as human beings.

The July 2014 issue of Decibel features Eyehategod, Arch Enemy, and Agalloch, and can be purchased here… but if you don’t just get a full subscription, you risk incurring the wrath of Todd Jones.