A site "dedicated to all things heavy " deserves a leader who is rooted within the culture we represent. Our editor, Judson Griffies, is the founder of trendkiller.net. 

More from Judson: 

My beginnings in Metal were humble, with my connection to the culture limited to whatever my local rock radio station played. Even at a young age, I found myself seeking out the obscure and non-commercial. It was during elementary school that I downloaded the RDIO app from the App Store, and I immediately selected  "Metal" as one of my preferences. 

That term, "metal," appealed to me in a way that is still inexplicable.

 When I pressed play on the station RDIO had made for me, the first song was Avatar's cover of the haunting Nirvana classic "Something in the Way." Although I cannot remember exactly how the RDIO app worked, I do remember seeing the chilling Lovecraftian artwork on the Hail the Apocalypse album cover and knowing that I wanted to see and hear more music that sounded like this. I hearted the song, and from there, RDIO guided me to Starset and I Prevail. The latter led me to actively seek out the "new" Punk goes Pop covers that were rampant in the 2010s, exposing me to what I later coined the "Warped Tour sound." It is my goal to be the driving force for someone else's Metal journey, as the RDIO app was for me. 

I would be a poser if I did not acknowledge that I also have always been a fan of even some of the "mainstream" acts, such as Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Korn, and Ozzy Osbourne. I would be remiss to not mention my affinity for Korn and Ozzy, who both are still in my "top five." 

The struggles Korn wrote about in their music and the hurt Jonathan Davis expressed were some of the same things I was experiencing at the time. My love for Korn will never be replaced, no matter how “underground” I go, and their connection to my life is even evident in other businesses I operate, such as my coastal guiding venture, Got the Life Excursions. 

To me, Ozzy Osbourne is Metal. Without the Ozzman and his love for the culture he helped to establish, none of the music we enjoy today would even exist. The first physical record I ever purchased was Ozzy's Blizzard of Ozz, which put me on another journey, collecting physical media and records. If it weren't for Ozzy and my research of those early Ozzfests, I may not have discovered Pantera. 

That discovery led to my love affair with The Great Southern Trendkill. From my first listen, I knew that more “extreme” metal was a sound I could get behind. That raw emotion Phil Anselmo exudes and the aggression behind it. Everything that album stands for, says, and represents is exactly what I wanted to be about. By the 10th grade, I had already begun modeling my brand around those attitudes. 

It was not until I left my hometown and I enrolled in college that I began this current journey.  It was in my dorm room at a Christian college in West Tennessee that I created trendkiller.net.  I was at a point of almost pure isolation, and it was the pursuit of music that helped deliver me from the depths of sorrow and despair. 

Heavy Metal has been the biggest champion of my life. 

I do not expect or even demand that others feel the same way, because not everyone has had the same lot in life that led me to pursue Metal. But I will say that this music has helped me navigate the throes of negativity that I have faced. I wanted to create a website that would help others connect with music that could help them with their situations. Since 2021, that has been my goal, and I will always be proud to present y'all with What You Need To Hear! 

At Trendkiller we want to provide a user friendly experience that will enrich the Heavy Metal community. We are a website dedicated to all things Heavy! And like Pantera's fourth studio album, our namesake, we are rooted within the foundations of personal integrity. We hope you enjoy the content that we produce.

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