COREY TAYLOR Weighs In On Prospect Of SLIPKNOT Releasing Singles Instead Of Full-Length Albums

During an appearance at the Monster-Mania Con this past weekend at The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, Corey Taylor was asked by a fan if he agrees with SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan's recent comment that the band could focus on releasing singles or EPs instead of full-length albums after fulfilling its contractual obligations to Roadrunner Records, to whom SLIPKNOT had been signed since 1998. The singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's kind of difficult to get nine people on the same page anymore, especially we're old and dicks. But the cool thing is that we all still get excited about good ideas. [Guitarists] Jim [Root] and Mick [Thomson] are so good at writing music. Me and Clown work really well coming up with stuff together, VMan [bassist Alessandro Venturella] is actually really good. So we've done so much in our career that at this point we could sit back and just do EPs. I mean, I've got a good idea for a double concept record with a whole storyline that goes along with it that I would love to do. But the cool thing is that we've kind of established our history, so whatever comes next will naturally be something that we want to do. So whether it's go in and just blast out a couple psycho tunes and just have fun doing that or we go in and do a very elaborate plan, like a storyline or something, either way it'll be something that we're really into. I back the group, you know? At this point, we've released so much music and we're off our label now, so sky's our limit; we can kind of do whatever we want. So whatever we do next will be something that we are all on the same page for, which is something you can't always say."

SLIPKNOT's latest album, "The End, So Far", which came out in September, was the band's final release for Roadrunner.

In a recent interview with NME, Crahan said he was "in love with the idea of having no restrictions". He explained: "I always thought, 'What would it be like if SLIPKNOT was big enough that we weren't held to albums?' Let's say Clown could convince you, 'Hey, instead of waiting two years for 12 songs, I'm gonna give you one song every month.' So in reality, I'm shaving a year off for the same thing.

"You have to go with me on this journey, but what I promise you is, there's artwork that goes with it, there's utility that goes with it, it's cheaper than what a normal individual song would be… And it's gone through all the filters — it's gone through the band, it's gone through [singer] Corey Taylor, it's gone through a professional mixer and masterer — no avenues have been chopped up, it's all business as usual. And we want to do this because I think it's time for you, our fans, to get everything."

Crahan went on to say that being unrestrained by the confines of a traditional album will make it possible for him and his bandmates to explore different musical avenues that they wouldn't have been able to in the past.

"I've always thought it would be interesting for our fans to know more about us," he said, "So if the Clown and Corey Taylor and [guitarist] Jim Root were all interested in playing with the Number One sitar player on the planet — and we would be because we're artists — and we brought this person to our location, and this person adorned us with their craft and taught us about the sitar… If we got to sit in and listen, and partake, and touch and smell and feel that vibration… Wouldn't it be interesting?"

He continued: "Let's say that sitar player's on a label and they have management — well fuck it, I'm going to call them up directly and they're only going to have to talk to their label, and their label's going to have to talk to my management. It's not going to be my label and their label, and my management and their management, and then me and the artists. [When it's like that], we never get to work together; we never get to make this piece of art. So being free, in that sense, gives us the freedom to explore deeper, more surreal opportunities to hone in with our craft; it's a win-win for everyone.

"The philosophy is for the fans to be sucked into thought, rather than just heavy metal, record labels, video channels, radio… No, it's the love of music — you love us as artists, you love our band, you know we have our own filter… Look at what we can do when we are free to dip our paintbrushes anywhere."

Last month, Taylor told NME that SLIPKNOT's relationship with Roadrunner deteriorated over the years due to changes at the record company.

"It's such a different label than it was when we first signed with it," he said. "Once you're in the hands of people who don't care, it's just a fucking business. And that's what happened."

"The End, So Far" entered the Billboard 2000 chart at position No. 2. The LP shifted a total of 59,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, 50,500 of which were traditional album sales.

Prior to "The End, So Far"'s arrival, SLIPKNOT had a three-album streak of No. 1 debuts with 2008's "All Hope Is Gone", 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" and the aforementioned "We Are Not Your Kind".