Slipknot album is Corey Taylor "putting [his] foot down" on divisiveness

Slipknot have never been afraid to speak their mind, nor have they ever hesitated to combat the issue of divisiveness. Vocalist Corey Taylor dives into the details on how he uses his platform to take a stand and create a fanbase that has become family.

Check out the interview below!

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Taylor recently sat down with Full Metal Jackie ahead of the band’s album release for We Are Not Your Kind.

Offering insight on the brotherhood mentality of the band, their platform, and the importance of diversity in their tour lineup, Taylor opens up on the importance of the band’s next album.

As fans continue to debate on who the mysterious ninth member of the band could be, Taylor touches on the importance of integrating new members into their brotherhood.

“They were chosen for two reasons. One, their talent obviously and two, because of their belief in what we’re doing.

We’ve always tried to fight off all the cliches and all the anchors of alternative thought when it comes to things like heavy music and things like that. We would have fought long and hard to achieve things that nobody could have ever expected from an extreme band like us.

So when we find like-minded people and they join and they get it the way we do, that immediately creates a band.”

The release of We Are Not Your Kind is quickly approaching, an album the band hope to use as a continued platform on combating divisiveness.

“‘We Are Not Your Kind’ is me kind of putting my foot down as far as the divisiveness not only just the culture right now but the world at large. Everyone is so at odds with each other. Everyone is so quick to look at each other as an enemy without trying to find common ground. For our kids, for our fans, that can really be a stressful, daunting, dangerous time. It’s very dangerous for people to be different these days. I will not have it. I grew up different.

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I know the pain of having to deal with being treated differently and for me, it’s one of those rare cases where I actually use my position in life to make a stand and say, ‘Guess what? It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, what color your skin is, who you love, what you believe — we are a family because of this love for music that we have.’

And ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ represents that gathering of people together and then turning our backs towards the rest of the world and saying ‘We’re not going to let your illness, your hate, permeate us. We are not your kind. You will never be ours.'”

This summer, the band are joined on their Knotfest Roadshow tour by Volbeat, Gojira and Behemoth. A lineup Taylor feels has never been represented before.

“I think it’s great because I feel like, especially in the [United] States, it’s never been represented before. We’re talking about four corners of metal and rock right now. Obviously, Behemoth have that black metal, Gojira kind of brings in that prog metal, Volbeat has such a distinct European metal defined to them. Then there’s us, it’s just Slipknot. We kind of do it all.

To me, I feel like it’s different. It’s a representation of just how popular metal is despite what the critics and the popular people want to say. It’s us basically making a stand and saying, ‘We can bring something heavy out like this and it will appeal to thousands of fans across the country.’

For me, that is the best representation of what we do. It’s really special and it’s also passing the torch on. It’s support for a band that does things completely different but at the same time at their core, they’re very, very vital bands.

We have always tried to help the next generation to get to a point where they can take over and they can do it. Because that’s what you do – that’s how metal stays alive is passing the baton back. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Slipknot’s album We Are Not Your Kind debuts Aug. 9 via Roadrunner records. You can pre-order your copy here.

Tickets for the Knotfest Roadshow are on sale here. You can check out the full list of tour dates below.

Dates:

08/01 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
08/03 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
08/04 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
08/06 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
08/08 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
08/10 – Des Moines, IA @ Iowa State Fairgrounds*
08/11 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/12 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/14 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
08/16 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
08/17 – Bonner Springs, KS @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
08/18 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/20 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage

08/21 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
08/23 – Burgettstown, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
08/24 – Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
08/25 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
08/27 – Mansfield, MA @ The Xfinity Center
08/28 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
08/30 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
08/31 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion

09/01 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
09/03 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
09/04 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
09/06 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of The Americas
09/07 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
09/08 – The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman

If you haven’t checked out Slipknot’s setlist for the tour yet, you can do so here.

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