COREY TAYLOR: 'If I'm Going To Do Something, I'm Going To Do It Wholeheartedly'

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor spoke to Australian Guitar about his debut solo album, "CMFT", an exuberant and eclectic party-rock collection of songs which dip into a variety of styles and sounds, including folk rock, blues, hip-hop, classic metal and punk rock. Asked if it was his goal to surprise everyone with how wild and loose he gets on the record, Corey said: "I don't know if that was the goal — I think it's a byproduct, absolutely. I've always been the guy that puts it out there that if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it wholeheartedly. So if I was going to do a solo album, I didn't want it to feel like either of my other band. There would have been no point if I was going to do that, y'know? If I was going to do a solo album, I wanted it to represent a whole different part of my musical prowess, and songwriting talent.

"And that's really where this stuff came from — most of these songs have been sitting around for almost 20 years," he explained. "I love the fact that people are so taken aback by it — that's the best compliment I've heard about this album so far, that people are, like, 'I didn't know what to expect, but it was exactly what I needed.' That fucking makes my life, man."

Taylor recorded "CMFT" with his band consisting of Jason Christopher on bass, Dustin Schoenhofer on drums, and Zach Throne and Christian Martucci (STONE SOUR) on guitar. The LP was completed at Kevin Churko's The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER and STONE SOUR, among others.

"CMFT" made impressive debuts on charts around the world in October, entering at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Hard Rock Albums chart, while claiming No. 2 on Current Rock Albums, No. 6 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 9 on the Top Albums charts. Furthermore, "CMFT" landed Top 10 on the official album charts in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with Top 20 debuts in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan (international chart).

Featured in Rolling Stone's "Fall Album Preview 2020," "CMFT" has been garnering widespread critical applause, with Forbes affirming, "Corey Taylor's singing is undeniably the best it's ever been. From SLIPKNOT's last album to his new solo material, Taylor is easily among the best sounding rock singers alive." Kerrang! raved, "Corey Taylor certainly couldn't have predicted how important a sense of uninhibited joy would be on his debut solo effort, it's just what 2020 needs — and, even more importantly, exactly what he delivers." The Daily Beast attested, "'CMFT' finds the singer broadening his horizons and showing off his considerable versatility," while Stereogum noted, "Corey Taylor's lived several lives in the span that it takes most of us to push through just one, and it's clear that he cherishes every experience he's had so far." New York magazine added that "CMFT" "bridges his vast tastes and influences, dabbling in punk rock, metal, reflective acoustic tunes, plaintive piano ballads, and hip-hop, with Taylor's power-house vocals and introspective lyrics acting as a guide."

"CMFT" is highlighted by the singles "Culture Head", "HWY 666", "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (featuring Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie),and the Active Rock radio hit "Black Eyes Blue". Taylor also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Songwriters chart following the unprecedented debut of "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped", the latter of which has racked up four million YouTube views for its star-studded music video. Furthermore, Taylor debuted the pummeling "Culture Head" during WWE's NXT broadcast on the USA network, illuminating yet another facet of "CMFT" and showcasing the broad spectrum of this fiery and fearless rock 'n' roll opus, as Taylor touches on lifelong influences ranging from hard rock to classic rock, punk rock to hip-hop. 14-time world champion and EVP of global talent strategy and development at WWE, Triple H, also shared a WWE exclusive performance of Taylor and his band tearing through the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades".