COREY TAYLOR Blasts Bands Who Rely Heavily On Backing Tracks During Live Shows: 'There's No Heart To It'

During an appearance on the latest episode of Steve-O's "Wild Ride!" podcast, SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor spoke about the fact that even the best live performers sometimes make mistakes here and there, and that's what makes people human.

"I've had songs where, like I'll start a song and then I'll just blank… [And then] I'll laugh and I restart the song," Corey admitted (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I'm, like, 'Fuck.' At that point, that's all you can do… And it lets people know that they're in a moment, man. So many fucking people either play to track or they're not playing it all, and it's just, like, it's just a fucking mechanical motion for them, and there's no vibe. There's no heart to it. Now the hip-hop community gets a pass because largely what they'll do is they'll throw the track on and then they rhyme over the top of it. But you can hear the double track on that, so you know they're doing it, but they're actually singing it live, singing along to themselves. However, there are people in my genre who not only have tons of Pro Tools going on, but they're not physically singing as well."

After poking fun at bands who rely heavily on backing tracks during their live performances, Corey said: "I shouldn't do that, because some friends I have use those and they use them for a reason that that's their peace, that's their truth. But I just — there's no way, dude. I couldn't do it.

"When we were doing STONE SOUR and we put out the two concept albums, 'House of Gold & Bones' albums, we used track as filler for some of the tunes that we played," he continued. "Obviously, all the guitars were real, the drums were real, vocals were real, bass was real, but we used track for some of the orchestral stuff and some of the connector pieces. 'Cause we were playing some of the stuff that would connect. And being a slave to that felt so stifling that I was like losing my… I was, like, 'We've gotta get off this fucking shit.'

"I hate being chained to a click," Taylor explained. "I hate being chained to something where I can't… Because part of the fun of live is the push and pull, man. Like, you can tell when somebody's feeling it because the song is way fucking faster than the original. They're just in it, or it's heavier, or they slow it way down. That, to me, is the epitome of live, man, because you're feeling it. They're in that fucking moment and there's no denying that it's them playing it. And that, to me, that's the beauty of playing live."

Corey will release his second solo album, "CMF2", on September 15. "CMF2" is Taylor's first album for BMG and the first on his own label imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings.

Released in May, the first single from "CMF2", "Beyond", entered the Top 15 at Rock Radio in just six weeks and was the cover and No. 1 spot of the Rock Hard playlist on Spotify.

Taylor began tracking the follow-up to 2020's "CMFT" LP in early January at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with STEEL PANTHER and ANTHRAX, among others. Joining Corey in the studio was the rest of his solo band — bassist Eliot Lorango, drummer Dustin Robert, along with guitarists Christian Martucci and Zach Throne.

Twenty-six songs were recorded for "CMF2", including the first two singles, "Beyond" and "Post Traumatic Blues".

"CMFT" featured the No. 1 Billboard mainstream rock single "Black Eyes Blue" and streaming sensation "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (feat. Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie). The LP hit No. 6 on Billboard's U.S. Top Rock Albums chart.

In support of his new album, Taylor has announced his 2023 tour featuring special guests WARGASM, OXYMORRONS and LUNA AURA on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 28-city tour kicks off on August 25 at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, making stops across the U.S in Detroit, Orlando, Dallas and more before the final headline show in Los Angeles at The Wiltern on October 5.