You’ve Been Warned

Sure he wears a horrific mask, calls his fans “maggots” and plays brutally heavy music, but Slipknot’s lead vocalist Corey Taylor is a man who enjoys the simpler things. Following a hiatus and despite unfounded Internet rumors of a breakup, Slipknot is set to release their first full-length album in two years, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) on May 25th, and have a busy spring and summer ahead. After finishing up their stint headlining the Jägermeister tour, which will wrap up May 14th at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, Slipknot will head off to Europe to support Metallica and then return to the States in July to join Ozzfest. However, amid all this excitement, Slipknot’s imposing frontman says that he’s looking forward to his two days off following the Jägermeister tour to see his wife, stepdaughter and son and “changing dirty diapers.”
The Synthesis caught up with Taylor before he and his band were to take the stage in Salt Lake City, UT, and he waxed eloquent on the city of Salt Lake, connecting with his audience and Slipknot’s upcoming album.

Have you seen the Great Salt Lake yet?
Yeah. It didn’t do anything for me, really.

It’s pretty bleak once you get out of the city.
[Laughs] Yes, it really is. It’s like, wow, you really found a great spot to have your nice religion here.

I’ve read nothing but good things about your live performances. I was wondering that since the members of the band are masked, do you have to work harder to make a connection with your audience?
No, not really. It’s all about what you do. I’m not going to let them not have a good time. We’re just going to keep raising [the level] with every show - with every song. Connecting with the audience is easy once you get everyone on the same page.

The masks give the band a horrific persona. Do you think heavy music and horror go hand in hand?
Yeah, for the most part, but you’ve got to realize that we’re not one of those horror / shock rock bands. That being said, I really do think heavy music and horror really do go along together. It’s the danger of it all; good rock ‘n’ roll, good heavy metal, has always been dangerous, and we just carry that on. But that’s where that stops, because the masks really have a different ideology for us. It’s not about gimmicks. It’s about becoming someone deeper in the music through transformation.

How do you think that transformation plays out on your upcoming album, Vol 3: (The Subliminal Verses)?
I tell you what, man. This new album’s going to blow people’s minds. There’s so much good stuff on this album, I couldn’t be happier.

What do you think this album offers fans that maybe your past efforts haven’t?
This album really let us experiment a little. We’ve always done the heavy music really well, and it was time to branch out beyond the walls of what we knew. Whether it’s the slower tones, or the more out there tones, this album has everything. It’s got the brutality, it’s got the melody, it’s got the slow acoustics, it’s got the shredding guitars. It’s really going to open people’s minds about what this band is all about. Just when you thought you had us figured out, guess what? You never knew us in the first place.

What was the impetus behind the songwriting on this album?
The songwriting process was definitely a catharsis for us - coming back together after so long and rekindling friendships. It was a great time to be in this band. I think that’s where a lot of the experimentation came from - the fact that we were learning to trust each other again and learning to open ourselves up again. The payoff has been huge. There may not be a lot of people who get this album, but there are going to be a whole lot of people who love this album.
photo by Neil Zlozower

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