Corey Taylor says new Slipknot lyrics tackle the depression he’s been fighting
"It's probably the most I've shared in years," he said
Corey Taylor has divulged more information about Slipknot’s fervently awaited sixth studio album.
The follow-up to 2014’s ‘.5: The Gray Chapter’ is tentatively set for release in 2019 and speaking to Full Metal Jackie Corey says it contains intensely personal lyrics that are ‘some of the best I've ever written.’
Asked about the direction of the material, Corey responded: “Well, it's been a heavy couple of years for me personally. So I'm working out some things, personally for myself, which has been great. I've been able to grab a hold of some of the depression that I've been fighting and formulate the way that I want to describe it. So some of these lyrics are, to me, some of the best I've ever written. It's probably the most I've shared in years.
“Hearing some of the guys in Slipknot read and react to some of the lyrics that I've been writing has been fantastic. I know Clown was like, just blown away by how open and raw it all felt. It felt like the old days. It felt like the beginning when it was just - we were the wound and the fans were the scabs. Trying to get it to heal and we were all trying to heal together. That's what this kind of feels like.
“It's been great watching the process and getting involved with the process, finally. Hearing the music that Clown and Jim and Jay and Alex and everybody else in the band has been really working on and being able to listen to it with fresh ears and come at it from different standpoints has been really fulfilling. It's been really, really good.”
In an interview with Billboard in April, Corey confirmed he has “written lyrics to almost all” of the record, which Clown, Jim Root and Jay Weinberg have been working on for some time now.
“The guys are writing tons of music and I’ve written lyrics to almost all of it and we’re going to start trying to put together demos here and there with the time off that I have and really try to get ahead of the curve as far as what happens next,” Corey said.
“I know that we’re gonna try and put an album out next year (in 2019) – however, that is all speculation. The best way to make God laugh is to announce your plans out loud. So, I’m just going with the flow. The plan right now is next year, but that is a huge plan because we still haven’t narrowed anything down, so we will definitely see what happens.”
Enthusing about the record to Music Universe back in February, Corey said “It's everything I wanted it to be.”
He added: “They've been sending me stuff here and there. And it's so funny too, because they're, like, 'We don't wanna send you anything till it's ready.' And I'm, like, 'All right. All right.' I've been very patient.
“I've gotten about six songs now, and they're really, really good. And just in kind of that demo form. And by 'demo,' I mean really just the fact that it's maybe a little longer than it will end up. Because what you wanna do is you wanna take that idea and extrapolate it to the point where you've exhausted every kind of idea.
“And then you kind of take it and you shorten it and you break it down and you formulate it and you get it to a little more solid, a little more fluid. And that's where it's at right now."
Over the weekend, Slipknot bassist Alessandro ‘V-Man’ Venturella shared a version of Slipknot’s logo on Instagram, prompting speculation that the band may be surfacing very soon.
Corey Taylor hits the UK later this month for sold-out Stone Sour shows in Manchester, London and Nottingham.