10 Viral Metal Bands That Didn't Stay Popular

Do you like sadness in your music? Think emo bands like The Menzingers are too sappy? If so, then here's the band for you! Emanating from the upsettingly mistreated town of Flint, Michigan, King 810 are the nu metal/hardcore outfit that blew up in 2014, thanks to a sound and demeanour that drew more than one positive comparison to nu metal icons Slipknot.

Signing to mega-label Roadrunner on the back of a single EP, King 810 genuinely felt and sounded dangerous. With harrowing lyrical content cowled out by frontman David Gunn, along with a reputation for violent live performances, a bloodthirsty cult-like following, an affinity for guns, and a general disdain for authority, they were ferocious, without falling too far into cringe. Well, at least at first…

After the release of their sophomore album, King 810 slowly became something of a parody of themselves, with some fans and critics negatively noting their one-string bow of lyrical content and questioned whether their storied experiences about Flint were even legitimate.

Since they quietly split from Roadrunner in 2018, the group has continued mostly as a duo of Gunn and multi-instrumentalist Eugene Gill. The pair have had a steady stream of releases in the years since, including the brilliant follow my tears EP in January 2023.