‘We’re ready to rip some faces off’
Ahead of Stone Sour’s Auckland concert on Wednesday, ex-Slipknot’s Corey Taylor tells Fleur Mealing why he believes their album Hydrograd is like the best rock playlist imaginable.
Chances are, you may not know who Corey Taylor is. And given his stage presence with an infamous rock band, you may also struggle to recognise him as well.
For many fans of Slipknot, Taylor is iconic; clad in red overalls with a barcode over the left side of his chest and wearing a mask that’s been described by MTV‘ s Chris Harris ‘‘as though it were made of dried, human flesh – like [ The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie character] Leatherface, if only he used moisturiser’’, he cuts an imposing figure.
But Taylor is also iconic for his part in heavy metal band Stone Sour. The group was founded by him, forming in Iowa in 1992, before disbanding in 1997. Reuniting in 2000 after spending time with Slipknot in the hiatus, Taylor has been the lead vocals and guitar since 2006.
They’re now heading to Auckland for one date to tour their sixth studio album, Hydrograd, an album Taylor says he’s extremely proud of and whose diversity of style is Taylor’s ultimate moment.
‘‘It’s like the best rock playlist or you know a burn CD or a mix tape. Like when we sat down and were writing it, we were like ‘Let’s put an album together that just feels like you took the best tunes that you can find’ and just kinda put them together.
‘‘So it’s got a little bit of everything, a bit of rock’n’roll, a bit of hard rock, it’s got metal, it’s got punk, it’s even got a little country in there. It’s got experimental, big, you know, just guns out rock’n’roll, it’s got a little of bit everything for everybody.’’
Stone Sour were last in New Zealand back in 2013, touring with Linkin Park and Taylor, for one, can’t wait till the return.
‘‘When we were there the first time, we were embraced in such a way that we’ve never forgotten it. Man, we are so excited and so stoked to get down there and just play for all the fans and just have a great rock’n’roll party with them – we are definitely counting the days until we get down there!’’
For Taylor, growing up in Iowa means that he has a lot of affinity with the Kiwi fans and understands their passion when they play.
‘‘It used to be nobody came through Iowa half the time so I learned to appreciate music the way a lot of New Zealanders did and that’s maybe why I feel a kindred spirit with them. It makes me want to put on an even bigger show for them. We are just looking forward to ripping some faces off!’’
The new album Hydrograd is said to be a departure from the band’s usual style, and certainly the recording of it sounds like it was a slightly unusual process, but ultimately a more fluid and natural one when it came time to lay down the tracks.
‘‘We started demoing this a couple of years ago; we were demoing these songs while I was out with Slipknot, but we would do it in like separate sessions.
‘‘Like, we would get together, as a band, we would demo everything, send it to each other, and then we would all pick, like, five songs and we’d be like, ‘Okay, so we’re going to concentrate on those five songs’. So we could really experiment, listen and study and figure out the things we wanted to do when we finally went into the studio.
‘‘These were the songs that felt the strongest, these were the songs that we wanted to make the album with and these were the songs that we wanted to represent where we were at.
‘‘And it just came together so effortlessly that you can feel it and hear it when you listen to the album.’’
Hydrograd, with its Eastern European sounding name and its distinctive red cover artwork and crest, is undoubtedly an unusual – albeit distinctive – title for Stone Sour’s latest.
And according to Taylor, it does have its origins in, of all places, the chaos of an EastEuropean airport as he was racing to get a flight.
‘‘It was one of the older ones, so they hadn’t really updated their technology as far as, like, the gate information was concerned, so it was like the old-school 80s kind of ticker-digital-clock-letter-number kind of vibe right, almost impossible to read, especially when you’re running past.’’
Laughing, he continues reflecting on how inspiration struck him in a blur and that the possibility of missing his flight nagged at his subconscious.
‘‘So I’m looking at it, and I’m trying to figure out, it’s cycling through different languages, and everything and I’m just having a horrible time trying to find my gate and I ran by one and I could have sworn it said, ‘Hydrograd’ and I was like, ‘Hydrograd, where’s that?’ And I stopped and I went back to the gate to see where this Hydrograd was and it didn’t say Hydrograd.
‘‘It didn’t even start with anH – it was just my brain filling in all kinds of weirdness and coming up with this really weird cool name.’’
Based on that and the way the album’s 15 tracks came together, it sounds like the fluidity of this particular musical melting pot was the key to its creative success.
‘‘There’s little bits of The Police, The Clash on there; there’s stuff like The Eagles. It’s really really cool because we’ve been able to take all of those influences and kind of turn them on their heads and make something that feels exciting and new and yet has a classic vibe to it.’’
And for Taylor himself, the fluidity is something that he’s noticed in the music industry as a whole.
With the rise of music streaming and the likes of Spotify, Taylor’s painfully aware that it’s an ever-changing landscape and marketplace which is important to recognise in order to stay relevant.
But personally, he doesn’t believe that the physicality of actual albums or CDs will ever die out.
‘‘I’d much rather put out an album, you know? As much as I want to embrace the new way, I also really love the old way. And while many people stream, there are just as many people who still love to buy the physical copy.
‘‘So, for me, it’s about really kind of tap-dancing and keeping one foot on either side and trying to embrace the future, while not turning your back on the past.’’
He’s fairly pragmatic about it when all is said and done, believing that the music should remain key, rather than any specific format.
‘‘Any way you can get music out to people I amall about and I encourage people to do it. But, at the same time, there is something to be said about putting the creativity and the art into making an actual album.’’ ● Stone Sour play Auckland’s Spark Arena on August 23. Tickets from Ticketmaster.