SLIPKNOT Frontman On All Hope Is Gone - “Probably The Best Vocal Performances And Lyrics I’ve Ever Laid Down”
October 19, 2008, 16 years ago
SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor recently spoke with Steve Tauschke at Australia's Beat Magazine. Following is an excerpt from the story.
A first in Slipknot’s 10 million selling career, All Hope is Gone was recorded in their home state of Iowa having cut most of their back catalogue in Los Angeles, epicentre of extra-curricula distractions, specifically “drugs, booze and women.”
“When you’re a band like this that takes everything to an extreme you tend to jump wholeheartedly into that stuff,” says Taylor, now father to a five-year-old son. “And that city is just built out of that so it’s hard to fight it when you’re there. But this time around we were able to focus on the music and the recording.”Hunkering down at a remote farmhouse studio outside Des Moines, the band enlisted producer Dave Fortman (Mudvayne) to help keep them honest.
“The songs still had the same vibe and the same frenetic energy,” says Taylor. “We were able to craft something that, well you know, it’s been four months and I’m still listening to it! And I really tried to get more involved on this record; I did a lot of the arrangements and just wanted to step it up and be there for the band. This time I tried to take the reins and help lead the project and they’re probably the best vocal performances and lyrics I’ve ever laid down.”And it seems the fans agree. All Hope is Gone and the crossover single Psychosocial have propelled Slipknot to the top of the US Billboard charts for their first #1 album. They also debuted at # 1 in Australia having had two previous albums reach #2.
“It was one of those things you hope for in life but never expect just with the way the industry is,” says Taylor. “We were damn near # 1 all over the board and for me that’s bigger than any Grammy, it’s bigger than any American Music Award; it’s the people standing up and saying ‘we really like this’. It’s one of those accomplishments I’m really proud to say we were able to achieve.“I mean this band has probably done a lot more for me than I can ever hope for. It’s allowed me to put away money for the kids’ college funds, it’s allowed me to buy and own my own house and buy a house for my mom - which is the first thing I ever bought. So it’s enabled me to take care of the people I care about.”
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