moment where you go: ‘You know what dude? Screw you!’ So you there has to be a balance between knowing you’re gonna work together, knowing you’re all friends at the end of the day but at the same time you have to have respect for people’s personal space and I think we have a good balance.” This balance is, of course, multiplied for Corey as he works around a multitude of different personalities at different times. The core drive for all of them seems to be the creative result, exemplified in this case by Audio Secrecy, Stone Sour’s explosive new LP. The difference this time has been the feel that this is finally a proper band record, one to which each band member has been able to devote the time and effort to that they’ve always wanted. “With the first album, we really didn’t know what was going to happen and the second album there was the big drummer controversy,” says Corey of the loss of original drummer Joel Ekman, to be replaced by Roy Mayorga. “I think the biggest difference was just having the willingness to experiment more than we have in the past. We really wanted to branch out but at the same time we really wanted the songs to be the strongest stuff we’d ever released so between that and the fact that we got proper time to make an album, we didn’t have to throw and go. We had about six months, which was great!” explains Corey. “We had time to get demos together, we had time to rehearse it as a band and really get that good strong band vibe to it. We had enough time in the studio to explore every possible musical idea we had, whether it was a part or ear candy or anything like that. Everything was in place, everything was strong and we all felt like we were contributing. It didn’t feel like there was an anchor dragging us behind. I thought it was much more of a collective than previous stuff in the past.” Corey turns to his band-mate Josh to ask if that “sounds right”.
52 3pickup
“If we’re not challenging ourselves to make more exciting music, then what’s the point?”
Corey is clearly the mouthpiece of the band, though he does urge Josh to contribute throughout, with Josh eventually opening up. This may be down to their personalities, but the crux is that Corey has had a lot of practice at this sort of thing and is damn good at it. The camaraderie between them is clear though, from the laughter to Corey’s groans of “here we go” at a number of Josh’s asides. What they’re most united on though is how much their experimental nature has infiltrated their new album. “To me it’s kind of a lost art, it really is. It just comes naturally to us but I think a lot of bands get into that safe zone and they don’t want to go outside of it. For us, if we’re not challenging ourselves to make more exciting music, then what’s the point?” asks Corey. There’s no disagreement from Josh, even when it comes to
discussing to what level real life informs their song writing. Initially he laughs it off - “yeah I’ll communicate my anger by riff” - before engaging with it. “But actually, we laugh about it but a lot of times I put images in my head and write around that sometimes. It’s different to him being able to use words,” says Josh pointing at Corey. “But a certain riff might be inspired because this person cut me off in an intersection and I wanted to kill him. Or I just happened to be happy that day.” But as for Corey, a man who has never been shy
of roaring, full-throated about topics others may have trouble dealing with – arguably one of the reasons for Slipknot’s massive appeal to teenagers – there doesn’t appear to be any room for feeling he may be giving away too much lyrically. “The best music has always been the most honest. Some people think you shouldn’t go too far with it, but then what’s the point? If you’re not willing to just open up and show the world where you’re at then what’s the point?” he asks for the third time. “I mean I’m not gonna write about dragons and shit. I’ve gotta write about what I
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