Vended

Formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2018, Vended occupies a space between nu metal and metalcore, focusing on heavy riffs, tense tempos, pronounced grooves and abrasive vocals. The band coalesced around vocalist Griffin Taylor and drummer Simon Crahan, originally joined by Jeremiah Pugh, Cole Espeland and Connor Grodzicki; after Grodzicki’s departure in 2025, Vended evolved into a quartet. Family ties to Slipknot—Taylor and Crahan are the sons of Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahan—accompanied the band’s early days but do not define its musical identity. After their first show in March 2020 in Des Moines and a pandemic-enforced pause, Vended released the singles “Asylum” and “Burn My Misery,” collected on the EP What Is It//Kill It in 2021. That was followed by several non-album tracks, including “Ded to Me” and “Overall” in 2022, while touring—among others with Jinjer and P.O.D.—increasingly became a focus. Vended released its debut album, Vended, in 2024, continuing a direct, aggressive and tightly wound sound.