Earlier this week, metal band Falling in Reverse released their new track “Joseph” in a monumental collaboration with Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and System of a Down’s Serj Tankian. Despite it being a revolutionary partnership with three of the industry’s biggest titans, a wave of backlash followed the release. While fans did critique the content of the music itself, the main point of contempt laid in Taylor and Tankian’s intentional decision to work with supposedly controversial lead singer Ronnie Radke.
Tankian has a longstanding reputation of using his incredibly successful musical platform to advocate for social change. As all four members of his band are of Armenian descent, System of a Down uses their music to push for the political recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Past that, the band makes politically charged commentary at almost all of their concerts. At the Sick New World festival this past spring, they critiqued the growing political polarization in America. At I-Days Milano in the summer, they condemned Prime Minister Netanyahu and dedicated their performance to the children of Gaza.
Similarly, Taylor is also unapologetically outspoken of his progressive-leaning social views. During concerts, he emphasizes the metal community should radically accept individuals from all backgrounds and serve as a safe haven for those marginalized by society. On a more personal note, he has published a book titled “America 51” that criticizes the widespread political divisiveness ravaging our nation.
Both these artists view it as a moral imperative to use their platform to provide aid and give back to their community.
In the metal community, Ronnie Radke is a sort of exception. Not once has he attempted to use his platform to explicitly advocate for any socio-political issue like Tankian or Taylor have. In fact, his own personal background is full of disputes. From incarceration to domestic violence charges, he is somewhat of a complex musician. He is also a victim of cancel culture, having been inaccurately accused of transphobia. Many of these accusations stem from a series of out-of-pocket tweets where he argued trans women cannot menstruate. However, this is a claim of biology, not an attack against anyone’s right to exist. Radke has not called for legal restrictions nor violence against the trans community, and he has clearly stated he supports people’s right to live as they choose. Where Tankian and Taylor’s songs frequently discuss war and social tensions, Radke’s songs have never ventured into this realm. The release of “Joseph” has changed this longstanding precedent, as it is a politically charged track that critiques the horrors of war and mass violence—particularly when masked behind religious justification.
In general, fans of anything are quick to follow the herd. It is deceptively easy to fall into this trap and, once you do, your brain lacks the proper stimulation to form its own complex opinions. The release of “Joseph” is meant to force fans to recognize this occurrence that is now becoming heavily prevalent in the metal community. Fans were so quick to hop onto the bandwagon and denounce Tankian and Taylor for collaborating with someone they viewed as “evil”. Yet the only reason many fans think Radke is “morally bad” is because the internet told them he was; they never second-guessed this assumption or conducted any research of their own.
On the point of using a successful platform to stimulate change: A metal artist is not obligated to use their platform to advocate for the popular social or political issue of the day. It is a personal choice, therefore not good nor bad. Radke’s decision to abstain when so many in the industry do not is perhaps one of the most metal aspects about him.
On the point of Radke’s personal controversy: Cancel culture is inherently uninformed. If actual research were conducted, fans would quickly see many of the claims held against Radke lack proper evidence. His incarceration was caused by a probation violation, not any sort of crime he committed. His sexual assault/domestic violence allegations were proven to be false, and he was fully exonerated due to a lack of any substantial evidence. Claims that he is “transphobic” and “racist” are misrepresented too. Radke chose to collaborate with transgender YouTuber Blair White and former WWE wrestler Gabbi Tuft in his music video for “All My Life”, showing his initiative and capacity to work with transgender activists. Further, he frequently emphasizes that everyone is welcome in his fan base and at his shows regardless of their background or identity. Yes, Radke is perhaps overly blunt when sharing his opinions online. However, his opinions do not encourage violence or hatred against any minority community, thus fall under the free speech America is meant to uphold. So, the major arguments against Radke’s character are invalid.
On the point of the contents of the music itself: Although the song may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is metal at its core. Metal music is meant to be raw, unfiltered, and subvert expectations—“Joseph” does all of this. The track opens with a dark piano-and-choir-led ballad that is reminiscent of gospel arrangements. It erupts into aggressive heavy-metal vocals and out-of-place rapping before shifting to gentler jazz for Tankian’s solo. The wide range of the song is meant to parallel the emotional extremes of the subject matter. The music video reinforces this same idea; Taylor dons his iconic Slipknot mask in a battle sequence against Radke, breaking the precedent of Slipknot regalia not being worn outside of the band’s own projects. It goes back to the roots of what metal is, and refuses to conform in a now overly sanitized industry.
The backlash against “Joseph” and Tankian and Taylor’s decision to work with Radke reveals plenty about the nature of modern-day metal fans. Tankian and Taylor did not commit any sort of error by attaching their names to this release. If anything, it was a strategic move to separate true metalheads from those blindly buying into herd mentality. Moral righteousness without research is not righteous at all—it is simply embarrassing, and it shows how far removed some “fans” are from the genre they claim to love.