SLIPKNOT

Dismantled for several years, this twisted nine-headed beast has been reassembled and rejuvenated.

By Jon Wiederhorn

Nearly half a decade will have passed between the release of Slipknot’s Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses and the band’s long-awaited follow-up. In that time, Iowa’s finest weren’t sitting on their asses waiting for the next season of Survivor. Far from it. After Slipknot finished touring for Vol. 3, singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root wrote and recorded the second Stone Sour album, Come What(ever) May, and spent a year on the road. Percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan edited the torrential Slipknot DVD Voliminal: Inside the Nine, broke up his side band, To My Surprise, and launched another, Dirty Little Rabbits. Drummer Joey Jordison produced an album by 3 Inches of Blood, toured with Ministry and Korn, and wrote some new ‘Knot songs. And turntablist Sid Wilson’s alter ego, DJ Starscream, released the solo album The New Leader.

When financially secure musicians invest that much time in other ventures, it’s often a red flag that their main group is on its last legs. Ironically, the 18-legged beast that is Slipknot has never been stronger. And now that the members are done with their other projects, it’s finally time to focus on the ‘Knot.

Revolver recently talked to Crahan about his hopes for the next album, how all the side projects will influence the disc, integrating new instruments into the mix, the death of rock’s former spirit, the dissipation of hope, and the pervasive sadness that has infected our once-exuberant nation.

REVOLVER So, we’re definitely going to see a new Slipknot record this year?
M. SHAWN “CLOWN” CRAHAN Oh yeah, for sure.

It’s about time, right?
Definitely, and thank God we’re coming back into the game, because everything is so bad right now, and I’m sure kids are beside themselves for something to keep them entertained. I’m not banging on anyone in particular, but it’s over. The health of rock and roll has been slowly declining, because there’s no heart anymore. Where’s the spirit? Where’s the real get-up-and-go? I’ve been out and about, trying my hardest to find it anywhere, and the best I can do is to get behind my own drum set. It’s pretty sad. So, we’re gonna come out and stir shit up again, and it’s gonna be good. I can feel it.

Is rock dead or just in desperate need of defibrillation?
Here’s the deal: Rock isn’t dead. You are. I am. Everyone is. And you have a choice. You don’t have to listen to any of this copy/paste crap anymore. If it’s not Buddy Holly or Elvis Presley—but to the one-millionth degree in any realm—then it just deserves to go down.

How far into the creative process are you?
We’re going to be working together very soon and entering the studio in the first part of the year. But we write all the time. Joey Jordison writes 365 days a year, so it’s always on. But these nice big breaks that we take, they’re what get our appetites going. They’re what let the brains slow down and then speed up again. We gotta decompress for a little bit to just feel human if we’re going to be forced to be here in this reality.

Who’s going to produce the album?
There’s no set producer and no set recording locations, but all kinds of conversations are going on.

Rick Rubin helped shape 2004’s Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses into a ferocious and amazing record. Might you go back to him?
Everything’s possible.

Might you self-produce?
That’s a good question, because we do that anyway. Every time we roll in, we have a serious idea of what we want. But we love outside opinions as well. Ross Robinson [who produced 1999’s Slipknot and 2001’s Iowa] is a genius, Rick is a genius, and we’ll just stick with that for now.

Can you believe over 11 years have passed since you recorded your demo/first album, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat?
I fuckin’ love that. We’re all in our thirties now, and our brains are so much scarier than ever. The immaturity of where I was in ’98—I’m surprised I still have limbs. I was riding it like lightning striking. We all were. And now, the shell’s different, and I’ve got certain steps I take to stay healthy spiritually, mentally, and physically. We all have our own thing. I just turned 38 and I’m better creatively than I’ve ever been in my entire life. We all are.

Do you think all of the side projects you guys have been involved with will impact the sound of the next Slipknot record?
For sure. Every time we’re away we grab life and learn things and absorb them. I’m one of those guys that’s constantly writing songs in all different genres of music. I’ll work with a metal band, an alternative band, and a blues guy in my studio, and then I’ll just go play some jazz with some friends. We all do that, and that gives us a fresh perspective and new vantage points. I mean, you couldn’t look at Van Gogh and say just his paintings are the best thing he’s done. You’d have to look at his pencil drawings and something his mom had when he was in kindergarten that would show you the inner side of him.

What new elements do you plan to bring into the picture this time?
It’s hard to say. Corey Taylor brings the whole beginning, and I can’t wait to read his murder bible. What’s on his mind? Self-destruction? Self-healing? I don’t know. But here’s what I’m trying to bring to the table. I’m on my own trip playing drum sets, working to really challenge myself. I’m a primal drummer, man, and I want to harness that. In the past, I would dictate parts and it worked so well. Now I’m interested in being more involved in the whole process. I’ve learned a lot through 10 years of playing kegs and cans, and now I think it would be really cool if [co-percussionist] Chris Fehn and I could utilize high-hats and cymbals, Slipknot-style. So, I’ve been coming up with all these experiments I want to bring to the band.

Aside from extra cymbals, what else might be different?
I had a big conversation with Joey about going out on the road with Ministry, and how he did all this trigger stuff that he really liked, so maybe that’ll figure in. And Sid has been playing piano now for three or four years straight. He’s got some real heavy shit. But what I can’t stress enough is that we’re going into this from a different place. When we did Iowa, we hated each other. We hated the world; the world hated us. And the next record was like rehabilitation. We had all this healing that needed to happen. Now, everything feels good because we feel good.

Will that newfound stability affect the songs?
It’s got to, right? But also, there are a lot of sad things going on right close to home. It’s getting hard again, and people are feeling it. But it’s not anger and hate this time, it’s more disappointment and sadness, and that’s the emotion I think I’m bringing.

What type of sadness have you seen?
Man, people around me are dying. I don’t want to get too specific, but I just had some people that I’ve known since I was very young pass away. Some were suicides; some fell asleep at the wheel; there was some aneurysm/stroke stuff. Bad stuff, but life stuff. It’s nothing that doesn’t go on in every other city with every other family. And there’s cancer and all kinds of other shit that’s close, and it’s sad, sad, sad. I mean, I can barely leave my house without being saddened by somebody’s situation.

If you look close enough, everyone has a tale of woe.
Exactly, and they’re so much worse now because of the war and the declining economy. We’ve never been a political band so we’re not gonna start talking politics. But there’s a McDonalds near us that just closed. When does that happen? I won’t even enter the mall that I grew up near, because people sit in their stores praying you’ll come in. It’s so sad. I can’t handle it. Everyone used to have hope and they were convinced that change was good. Now, man, I look out there and see people giving up.

Are Slipknot gonna signal the resurrection of hope and promise in 2008?
I just know we’re going for it all, and it sure would be nice to bring some shit to an end and have hope again. See, I feel a revolution’s coming. I’m not saying I’m starting it. I’m just saying that when record stores are taken over and the Internet becomes how people connect with each other, it’s on. Things are gonna start falling off real soon. Humanity is a loaded gun. We’re in a bad place. If we’re not careful, we’re gonna summon a meteor to take us out or something. But if that happens, at least I’ll get to see it and I can go, “Well, I got to live some serious shit. Unfortunately, I’ve got to feel this thing called dying right here, right now, but maybe I’ll catch onto something and go someplace else—someplace better.”