Slipknot's Corey Taylor Pays Tribute to Alice in Chains' "Unfuckingtouchable" 'Dirt' | Revolver

Slipknot's Corey Taylor Pays Tribute to Alice in Chains' "Unfuckingtouchable" 'Dirt'

"Simply put, it's one of the greatest hard-rock/heavy-metal albums of all time"
Corey Taylor Alice in Chains Dirt split

Slipknot singer Corey Taylor has never been shy about his love for Alice in Chains. The vocalist has covered songs like "Man in a Box" and "Would?" over the years, and once called the Seattle grunge-metal institution "one of the greatest rocks bands that ever was." Now, Taylor has formally paid tribute to Alice in Chains' 1992 masterpiece, Dirt, dubbing it "one of the greatest hard rock/heavy metal albums of all time" and explaining how it changed his life

In an excerpt he submitted to the book that accompanies the 30th anniversary reissue of Dirt, Taylor spoke glowingly about the record, revealing the first song he ever heard from it and explaining exactly what makes it such a singular piece of genius.

"Alice in Chains changed my entire approach to songwriting. They showed me that you could write/marry the heavy to the beautiful and combine the sadistic with the hopeful. I've been a massive Alice in Chains fan since day one.

"I saw them open the 'Clash of the Titans' tour and was addicted from that moment. The first song I heard from Dirt was 'Would?' because it was on the Singles soundtrack. My initial thought was, 'How are they going to top this?' And holy hell, they smashed it.

"The whole album is perfection. The harmonies are perfect, the guitar tones are so thick, the passion is gorgeous, and the grooves — how the bass glues to the drums — are unfuckingtouchable. Whenever I am stuck musically, I go on a 'Chains binge, and I always start with Dirt. It's just a perfect album.

"Simply put, it's one of the greatest hard rock/heavy metal albums of all time. It transcends genres. it speaks to people regardless of age or generation. It's literally a clinic on how to make nihilism and contemplation work together.

"'Would?' and 'Angry Chair' were two of the first songs Stone Sour played as a band. Joel Ekman and I would just jam the whole album together in my basement. Dirt is one of my favorite albums ever made."

Below, check out the way Taylor's excerpt looks in the Dirt book, and then learn about 10 things you didn't know about the album Taylor loves so much.