Corey Taylor of Slipknot
[Photos by: Travis Shinn, M. Shawn Crahan]

Corey Taylor recalls his best and worst Slipknot masks

Corey Taylor talks his best and worst Slipknot masks in a Q&A for Kerrang, recalling the various guises’ often claustrophobic construction. Watch the full video below and read about Taylor’s history of unwieldy Slipknot masks right here.

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The Slipknot frontman (and Stone Sour singer) was asked about Slipknot masks during a panel conversation that covered wide-ranging topics on his career. Singling a few out, Taylor confesses that most Slipknot masks aren’t so comfortable.

“They were all fucking horrible. The hardest was my original with the dreads. Anything that’s full-headed — there’s just no getting out of it.”

He further describes the masks: “At least when you’ve got some kind of a half-mask with buckles, you don’t feel like you’re singing in a portaloo. But when it’s closed, you just put this big rubber hood on and there’s just no getting out of it.”

And it wasn’t just Taylor’s first Slipknot mask that left much to be desired in the way of comfort. The vocalist says the following album cycle’s mask, for the band’s second album Iowa, didn’t fare much better. Foam rubber, eh, Corey?

“That one and the Iowa one. The Iowa one was foam rubber. The ones from the first album were thin but then we got a little money and we were like, ‘Wow, let’s make some cool shit for the Iowa run!’ [They were] basically just like giant sponges.”

What was Taylor’s favorite Slipknot mask?

So what was Corey Taylor’s preferred Slipknot mask? The musician says the one he wore for 2004’s Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) was easiest, as reported by Metal Hammer. Although, he says he still had issues with mic clearance.

“It was hard for me to get the mic up to my mouth,” describes Taylor, “so it really changed the way that my vocals sounded… Which is why now when I do my mask, I make sure that the rubber is flushed with my mouth so I can get the mic up to it.”

Do you you prefer one of Taylor’s previous masks to another? What band member wears your favorite mask? Have you ever dressed up like someone from Slipknot for Halloween? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!

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