COREY TAYLOR: 'There Would Not Have Been A SLIPKNOT Without PAUL GRAY'

ITN Music's Amped spoke to SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor at this past Thursday's (July 29) Relentless Energy Drink Kerrang! Awards in London, England where Taylor's late bandmate, SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray, was honored with the "Services To Metal" award. You can now watch the chat below.

Corey, who accepted the award on Gray's behalf and also co-presented the show alongside ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, said, "I love the fact that [Paul's] finally, honestly being appreciated. I know sometimes he felt that like he didn't get the attention he deserved.

"For me, I just want the world to know what he meant to the band, who he was in the band and just how much he contributed to that band. I mean, he was the heart and soul of SLIPKNOT."

He added, "This [award] is the spirit in which I want him to be remembered. Something like this, which is so positive and so much not only about who he was but just what he lived to do, to me that really kind of took the edge off it — it wasn't morose, it wasn't too melancholy; it was just wonderful. This was for him.

"There would not have been a SLIPKNOT without Paul Gray, and I hope the world appreciates him . . . He's certainly missed by his family and his friends, but just the fact that the fans and his peers really saw his life in his music and loved him, that's what's really good about it."

Speaking to BANG Showbiz, Corey said, "Every day is a constant reminder but this is such a fitting tribute and a true recognition of the contribution [Paul] made to music and the world in general. I couldn't be more proud.

"He wrote well over half the music for the band and I really don't think [SLIPKNOT drummer] Joey Jordison could have been as good without him.

"Paul wrote some of the heavier riffs and some of the most beautiful, melodic riffs. Once we got him into that realm, it really started opening him up and he wrote so many great songs for us.

"It just feels weird without him, but it was an honor to be in a band with him. I miss him every day."

Joey Jordison, who's out touring with ROB ZOMBIE, has confirmed that SLIPKNOT will continue making music despite Gray's passing. While SLIPKNOT is only in the very earliest stages of planning its next record, Jordison told The Pulse of Radio they've already decided they will not recruit a new bassist. "There will be no other bass players besides Jim [Root, guitarist], Mick [Thomson, guitarist] and me, more than likely," he said. "Everyone actually kind of plays guitar in the band, so I think we're all gonna play bass on the record. We're not gonna have anyone come in. But live, we'll deal with that when it comes."

In a separate interview, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root said that the return of the band was "at least" two years away, though he admitted that even he didn't know if SLIPKNOT would continue on without Gray.

"I'm not sure what we are going to do," he said. "We haven't talked about anything ... we've got some things to think about so, right now, we are just going to not think about them," Root said. "There's going to be a big healing process that needs to happen before we can even think about whether or not SLIPKNOT will continue. And right now, that's the furthest thing from our mind. Right now we are just grieving, or trying to find some time to grieve. ... [It's] not going to make sense for a while."

Jordison is touring with Zombie and releasing a new album from his side band, MURDERDOLLS, next month.

Taylor and Root also have a new album due out in September from their other act, STONE SOUR, called "Audio Secrecy".

Gray's body was found on May 24 in a suburban hotel room outside Des Moines, Iowa. A medical examiner ruled that the 38-year-old died of an accidental overdose of morphine and a synthetic form of morphine.