SLIPKNOT's COREY TAYLOR: Firing JOEY JORDISON 'Was One Of The Hardest Decisions We Ever Made'

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor says that firing Joey Jordison, the band's drummer of 18 years, was "one of the hardest decisions" the group ever made, but insists that he and his bandmates are "happy" to have moved on.

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Speaking to UK's Metal Hammer for the magazine's October 2014 issue, Taylor stated about Joey's departure from SLIPKNOT: "I can't talk too much about it because we're going through the legalities of everything right now and settling everything, but it's when a relationship hits that T-section and one person's going one way and you're going the other. And try as you might to either get them to go your way or try and go their way, at some point you've got to go in the direction that works for you. This is me speaking in the broadest terms, with respect to Joey. I guess to sum it up, it was one of the hardest decisions we ever made."

He continued: "We're all happy right now and we hope that he is. I've known him since '91, and that was before we were in bands together, and he's incredibly talented; he's just in a place in his life, right now, that's not where we are... in the nicest terms."

Asked to address rumors that Joey's dismissal from SLIPKNOT was drug related, Corey replied: "There's only so far that I can give an explanation. For me, that has to be a sign of growing up, because before I would've just railed at whatever I thought the supposed evil was, but now it's like, how do you explain to the fans? And that's the hardest part, because no matter what explanation you give, it's not gonna make them happy. I'm sure there are fans out there who have their own theories about it…"

According to Corey, he no longer has a relationship with Jordison. "I haven't talked to Joey in a while, to be honest," he told the magazine. "That's how different we are. It's not because I don't love him and I don't miss him. And it is painful; we talk about him all the time, but at the same time, do we miss him or do we miss the old him? That's what it really comes down to. It's just a fucking shame."

SLIPKNOT on Friday (September 12) revealed its new masks and its new members — at least what they look like — in the video for "The Devil In I", the first single from the band's upcoming album ".5: The Gray Chapter". The clip, directed by percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan, shows off the new headgear worn by the seven original members, while giving us brief glimpses of the band's new drummer and bassist, who are both wearing the same mask.

The band has not revealed the identity of either new member, but now new evidence has surfaced online that the man replacing Gray is named Alessandro "Vman" Venturella. Venturella has served as a guitar tech for MASTODON, COHEED AND CAMBRIA and others, while also playing in the band KROKODIL.

A side-by-side comparison of Venturella's distinctive hand tattoo and that from the person playing bass in the "The Devil In I" video reveals that they appear to be the same.

SLIPKNOT's new drummer is widely believed to be Jay Weinberg, son of longtime Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg.

".5: The Gray Chapter", SLIPKNOT's fifth studio album, arrives on October 21 and is the band's first without Jordison and bassist Paul Gray, who died in May 2010.