Chris Jericho – There aren’t many new rock bands, it’s scary

Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho is afraid of the future of rock ‘n’ roll because he doesn’t think there are many new rock bands out there. Although he noted a few newcomers like Greta Van Fleet and the Struts, he wonders who the next generation of rockers will be.

In a conversation with Rick Beato, Jericho discussed how slow it was to build bands like Metallica before becoming mainstream, and how that same slow doesn’t really work for new rock bands today. “If you don’t hit and get a No. 1 hit right off the bat, you kind of get sidelined,” he said.

“And that really scares me too, because what will the future of rock ‘n’ roll be like as a result?”

The rocker went on to explain a conversation he had with Mr. “Rock Is Dead” himself, Gene Simmons, about the future of rock. The KISS icon told Jericho that all genres end at some point, and cited swing and polka music as examples.

“I’m starting to wonder if he was right about rock ‘n’ roll? Because when I was a kid, everybody was in a band,” Jericho continued.

While discussing the Download Festival with promoter Andy Copping, Jericho wondered which bands would be headlining the event ten years from now, as bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC and System of a Down may no longer occur.

“Avenged Sevenfold is building and Slipknot, but who is the next generation of these bands? Because except for Greta Van Fleet and the Struts and a few others, there aren’t many new bands rock ‘n’ roll,” he added. claims. “Whereas before there were 40 or 50 and you couldn’t follow them all.”

Beato did mention, however, that the pandemic has created a surge in guitar sales, which could potentially mean more young people are interested in learning and pursuing music.

Watch the full interview below.

Chris Jericho interview with Rick Beato

Every Ozzfest Composition, Ranked

Virginia F. Goins