Corey Taylor: A New Slipknot Song Is Like Black Metal David Bowie

Corey Taylor is a guy who knows his rock and metal history, pulling his eclectic tastes into Slipknot's highly experimental and ambitious new album, We Are Not Your Kind. It's not entirely surprising to learn that David Bowie wielded influence over the singer, but a cross-section of Bowie and black metal? That's how he described the new song "A Liar's Funeral," which isn't the only Bowie-zested track on the album, in our exclusive interview.

We Are Not Your Kind is an enveloping album rife with new sounds and deviations from what fans would expect from the already multi-faceted Slipknot. One of the most atypical songs is the darkly atmospheric "Spiders," which is bereft of bottom-heavy guitars.

"The first song that made me feel like we were doing something different again was 'Spiders,'" admitted Taylor, who said Slipknot took a different approach to tracking it in the studio.

"The core of it was recorded and then we kept adding elements to it. We had all these songs around it that we were tracking and finishing, but we were constantly still looking for the key to 'Spiders.' We were looking for the moments to add to it," the singer went on. "It was almost like seasoning a stew. Too much and it doesn’t work, just the right amount and it’s damn near perfect."

The idea of a song without guitars didn't even bother axemen Jim Root and Mick Thomson as some may suspect. "It was the opposite," affirmed Taylor, who recalled, "Mick was reluctant to put guitar on it. He said, 'This is awesome the way it is.' He thought there might already have been too much going on there. So we had to find ways to add those elements that didn’t overdo it or make it overbearing."

Next came the out-of-the-box comparison as The Great Big Mouth observed, "The guitar solo has got a strong hint of Adrian Belew, which I thought was perfect. It had that element of David Bowie on 'Fashion.'"

It was pointed out in the interview that there's other We Are Not Your Kind offerings that take influence from the chameleon-like late rocker, one of them being "A Liar's Funeral." Slipknot weren't trying to mask the influence and Taylor doubled down, stating, "When you’re going, go all the way. Basically, that was the approach we wanted to take for the whole album. For me, we had to have all these different kinds of elements that knit everything together."

Experimentation wasn't just part of the equation on the album — it drove the writing process and unified the songs. "You couldn’t have just one song like 'Spiders.' You couldn’t have just one song like 'Insert Coin' — this intro that builds toward entering this machine that will then send you through this rollercoaster ride of emotion," Taylor continued. "We had to have elements all through."

Check out the full interview with Corey Taylor here.

You'll find out for yourself what else influenced We Are Not Your Kind when the album drops tomorrow (Aug. 9). Order your copy here and catch Slipknot on tour on the Knotfest Roadshow at the dates listed below. Need tickets? Take care of that here.

Slipknot, Volbeat, Gojira + Behemoth Tour Dates

Thu Aug 8 - Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena
Sat Aug 10 - Des Moines, IA - Iowa State Fairgrounds*
Sun Aug 11 - Tinley Park, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Mon Aug 12 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Wed Aug 14 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Fri Aug 16 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Sat Aug 17 - Bonner Springs, KS - Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
Sun Aug 18 - Maryland Heights, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Tue Aug 20 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
Wed Aug 21 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Fri Aug 23 - Burgettstown, PA - KeyBank Pavilion
Sat Aug 24 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Sun Aug 25 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
Tue Aug 27 - Mansfield, MA – The Xfinity Center
Wed Aug 28 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Fri Aug 30 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Sat Aug 31 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
Sun Sep 1 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
Tue Sep 3 - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Wed Sep 4 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Fri Sep 6 - Austin, TX - Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of The Americas
Sat Sep 7 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
Sun Sep 8 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman