Every metal band is going to come across haters at one point or another in their career.
For every fan that you get, there are always a few people who are going to think that your band is the worst thing they’ve ever heard or that you’re the spawn of some demon. It’s never easy to get over those naysayers, but Robb Flynn actually got some advice from one of the best in the business.
Because if there’s anyone that knows a thing or two about haters, it’s Lars Ulrich, from Metallica. Lars has caught flack on everything from allegeldy selling out, to the snare sound on St. Anger to his relentless crusade against Napster back in the ‘00s.
When talking to Metal Hammer, Robb spoke about the valuable message that he got from Lars regarding any of those trolls looking to tear him down, saying:
“Lars once told me the world is gonna hate you sometimes. You just gotta plant your flag, live your truth and stand by it. I really needed to hear that at the time.”
While most of the hate in question was directed at the Machine Head album The Burning Red, that advice made Robb turn around on the reception to the record, saying:
“It didn’t sell half a million copies because people hated it. There were a lot of motherfuckers lying about not getting that record.”
It’s not like Robb hasn’t had to use that advice more than a few times over the years as well, including being hated by a good section of the metal community after he called out Phil Anselmo ‘s behavior at Dimebash 2016.
There are always going to be people that tear you down just because they want to see you fall, but Robb learned how to deal with those guys a long time ago. It’s every artist’s right to speak their mind, but if someone has a problem with it and drags you down, what makes you great is being able to get back up again.
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