A feud erupted between Slipknot and Nickelback—and only Smash Mouth could settle it

Smash Mouth has stepped into the fray of the best Nickelback feud in at least three weeks.

While Nickelback is usually on the receiving end of every bad joke about music, whether it’s from Mark Zuckerberg, Canadian police, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, singer Chad Kroeger went on the offensive in a video interview with Metal Covenant. He started with a bold claim that had no basis in reality.

“I can’t think of another band that’s as diverse as we are. I can’t,” Kroeger said. “And I don’t think that’s me talking from pride or ego.”

That’s odd considering two of Nickelback’s biggest early hits, “How You Remind Me” and “Someday” are literally the same song.

There’s even a YouTube tutorial that shows how easy it is to write a Nickelback song.

The interviewer wasn’t having it either, but he bizarrely countered with Stone Sour. That set off this memorable exchange.

“Yeah, because they’re trying to be Nickelback… They’re okay, but they’re not as good as Nickelback. They sound like Nickelback Lite.”

Kroeger then turned his focus to Slipknot.

“They had to put on masks and jump around. How good can your music be if you’ve got to beat each other up on stage, throw up in your own masks every night?”

Then he got personal, attacking Corey Taylor, who fronts both bands.

“He got tired of sitting behind a mask. He wanted people to know what he looks like, so he started Stone Sour.”

Taylor was quick to respond in an interview with radio station 98 KUPD, but he clearly wasn’t taking it too seriously.

“You can run your mouth all you want. All I know is I’ve been voted ‘Sexiest Dude In Rock’ wearing a mask. You’ve been voted ‘Ugliest Dude In Rock’ twice without one. Stick that up your ass.”

Taylor made it clear his issue was with Kroeger, not Nickelback, adding, “Dude, curl up in bed with your Hello Kitty pillow and shut up.”

The whole thing might have just blown over, but then, at the behest of Consequence of Sound writer Aléx Young, Smash Mouth weighed in on Twitter—and with authority.

We see what Chad is saying but Slipknot has more than pulled it off. It feels authentic, they nailed it! They're American Icons.

— Smash Mouth (@smashmouth) June 20, 2017

(For what it’s worth, Nickelback, Slipknot, and Smash Mouth were all labeled “terrible ‘rock groups’” in an official Department of Defense memorandum that banned them from being played in their command post during work hours.)

That still leaves the question of whether Stone Sour is “Nickelback Lite,” but given that the phrase is an oxymoron to begin, it’s really a moot point.

H/T NME