Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has provided another glimpse into what fans can expect on the band’s next album, which they have been recording since the beginning of this year. What’s more, he has revealed the tracking process for the follow-up to We Are Not Your Kind, which came out in 2019, is nearing completion.
In an interview with Galaxy Con, Taylor revealed that he was supposed to finish tracking his vocals — typically the final part of the recording process — this past week, but those plans were derailed by his recovery from Covid-19. He explained:
“I was actually supposed to finish my vocals this week. I got screwed, man, [by the COVID diagnosis]. I actually only have really three songs left to do. I’ve done all the other tracks because I’ve been doing ’em in between tours, just fucking hitting it.”
That Taylor only has three tracks left to record is significant; as of late July, he hadn’t begun tracking his parts yet.
Taylor then pivoted to the musical and lyrical direction of the new material, stating:
“I actually like this one better than the last one. I loved the last one. It’s really good. There’s some darker, heavier shit on it. There’s some tunes that are actually really outside the realm of what we’ve done before. But it all fucking coheses together — it all works together. And there’s some fucking savage heavy shit, which I’m really stoked on. So it’s gonna be rad.”
In May, percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan had some very high praise for the vocal parts of his bandmate, saying it’s “some level of singing that I’ve never heard him, which makes me really emotional.”
Speaking to Consequence of Sound in July, Taylor explained of the new Slipknot stuff:
“It’s an expansion of where we were at on ‘We Are Not Your Kind’. This band has always prided itself on expanding boundaries, expanding our musical vision. It’s got the heavy… There’s so many different elements on this one, man, that let’s just say I’m really excited to get the vocals on it. I’ve got all the lyrics written and whatnot. I’m starting to fine-tune everything. It’s gonna be interesting, man.
“I think I talked about it somewhere else where this is the first time in a long time on a Slipknot album where I’m not just talking about things from my point of view; I’m trying to look at things from other people’s point of view and tell different stories again. I’m kind of getting back to that, and it feels very freeing. It’s very liberating, man. And it’s gonna be rad. There’s a couple of songs on here that people are gonna be, like… There’s definitely some pit openers that are gonna fucking freak people out. It’s gonna be rad.”
Taylor announced last week that he’d contracted Covid-19 after finishing up a solo tour. He describes the illness as “the worst” he’d ever been sick, but stressed certainty that the vaccination he received prevented it from being even worse. He is now fully recovered.
Slipknot will be on the road with Killswitch Engage, Fever 333 and Code Orange starting in late September. Dates:
Sep. 25 – Des Moines, IA – National Balloon Classic Field (Knotfest Iowa) [tickets]
Sep. 28 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 29 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater [tickets]
Oct. 01 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center [tickets]
Oct. 02 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre [tickets]
Oct. 03 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater [tickets]
Oct. 05 – Syracuse, NY – Lakeview Amphitheater – Syracuse [tickets]
Oct. 08 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center [tickets]
Oct. 09 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre [tickets]
Oct. 10 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center [tickets]
Oct. 12 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion [tickets]
Oct. 13 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live [tickets]
Oct. 15 – Burgettstown, PA – S&T Bank Music Park [tickets]
Oct. 17 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion [tickets]
Oct. 19 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 20 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 22 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek [tickets]
Oct. 23 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 24 – Pelham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 26 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP [tickets]
Oct. 28 – Del Valle, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater [tickets]
Oct. 29 – The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (no Code Orange) [tickets]
Oct. 30 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion [tickets]
Nov. 01 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater [tickets]
Nov. 02 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion [tickets]
Nov. 05 – Los Angeles, CA — Banc of California Stadium (Knotfest Los Angeles)