Slipknot’s Corey Taylor to rock bands that sound “soft”: “Stop holding back and just fucking go for it”

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has a word of advice for self-professed ‘rock’ musicians out there: To “stop holding back and just fucking go for it”.

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Speaking to NME about CMF2, the follow-up to his 2020 solo debut album CMFT, the musician admitted to being unimpressed by modern rock bands, many of whom — he thinks — are too “soft” to be considered ‘rock’.

“There are some good bands out there but for the most part, everything is so soft.” Taylor said. “It’s the exact opposite of what we had before, where people didn’t want to call themselves ‘rock’.”

“Now, people call themselves rock when it’s actually way more alternative. When are these artists going to take the gloves off? Stop holding back and just fucking go for it. Everything sounds the same.”

He continued: “There’s no reason to make music if you can’t fucking feel it. There has to be a heartbeat to it or it’s just another commercial that you’re trying to get through to get to the next show. With this album, I’m walking in like Hiroshima and I don’t give a fuck what anybody says.”

That said, there are still a couple of bands that have managed to impress the musician.

“Turnstile are fucking amazing,” Taylor began. “Sleep Token are really starting to do something for me, and Bad Omens are great. There’s a whole new generation of bands that are starting to come up that are carrying the flag for heavy music.”

And for his upcoming record, the Slipknot frontman promises that “This album is definitely more of a punch in the face.”