Jacoby Shaddix Says Korn, Papa Roach and Deftones Are “the Next Metallicas”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: who’s gonna carry the flag for heavy metal when Metallica, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest hang it up? There are a lot of possible answers to this question—Bring Me the Horizon and Architects are crushing it in the UK right now, and bands like Gojira and Mammoth WVH have hit the road with Metallica. Hell, even King Gizz play heavy metal when the mood hits.
In a new interview with radio station Lazer 103.3, Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix shared his belief that it’s time to let some other established acts step into Metallica’s spot as Metallica move toward an even loftier legacy (via Blabbermouth).
“We’re watching Metallica step into that Rolling Stones spot right now. And Foo Fighters are another one of those groups. And Korn, Papa Roach [and] Deftones, we’re like the next Metallicas. You know what I mean? That’s it. We’re stepping into that spot now. It just comes to, I guess, being able to survive the treachery of this rock and roll life. And if you can do that and still continue to create good art and good music, then we can get into that space.”
I see what Shaddix is getting at here but Korn, Papa Roach and Deftones are all well past their prime; they’re already legacy acts. No one is coming to hear Papa Roach play music that was released after 2006. Shaddix also looked back on Papa Roach’s early days in the same interview.
“When we first formed Papa Roach back in 1993, we were, like, ‘We wanna do this till like we’re just old friends from young years.’ And now we’re here.
“I remember playing with Stone Temple Pilots back in, like… it had to be 2001. And we opened the show. And it was at this brand new amphitheater outside Sacramento, where we’re from. And I remember watching their set, and it was just like a greatest-hits setlist — everything [was like], ‘I know that song.’ ‘Oh, I know that song.’ And it was just song after song… And the show was an hour and a half. And it felt like it was 45 minutes, because it was just engaging and entertaining. And it was, like, ‘I want that. That’s the goal for the band. Let’s do that.’ We saw it alive in front of us. And here we are in 2023, 20-some-odd years later from first breaking on to the scene in the major-label game and still killing it in the game — still making music that’s resonating and connecting. And I couldn’t ask for anything more. And it makes me grateful that I’m taking care of myself too, so it’s, like, I can do this for some more years and I’m not just on my last legs.”
Papa Roach released a deluxe version of their latest album, Ego Trip, earlier this year.
