Don't let this fucking world tear you apart!
Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American musician, actor, and author. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot as well as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and only continuous member of the alternative metal/hard rock band Stone Sour.
With Slipknot, Corey has released 7 studio albums and achieved great success and acclaim, including a Grammy Award for Best Metal Song in 2005, which went to "Before I Forget" from their third album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). As part of the band's famous 9-man roster, where the members were all referred to by a number between 0 and 8, Corey was designated #8; he reportedly chose the number since it symbolizes infinity.note
Although he grew more fame from Slipknot, Stone Sour was actually formed first in 1992, five years before Corey joined the band. He started Stone Sour alongside drummer Joel Ekman, and the band recorded several demo albums. After being approached with the opportunity to join Slipknot by several of its members, Corey temporarily quit Stone Sour, feeling he'd be able to expand more as part of Slipknot, and would not return until five years later. A year before he was approached, Corey was reportedly in attendance at the first-ever Slipknot show; he recalled being "mesmerized" by their music and vowing to be their singer one day.
In addition to both of these bands, Corey has also worked with numerous other bands and artistsnote , dabbled in different genres over the years, and established a solo career. So far, he has released two solo albums (CMFT in 2020 and CMF2 in 2023) alongside an EP and a handful of non-album singles (the Anti-Christmas Song "X-M@$" and covers of "London Calling" and "Carry On"). He's also fairly known for additional covers that he performs live; perhaps the most popular is his cover
of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme.
Outside of music, Corey has done work in acting, most amusingly as a security guard in Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, and has published several books that chronicle his personal beliefs in a number of subjects including politics, the economy, and the entertainment industry. He is also an ambassador for the You Rock Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness for depression, anxiety, and mental health. He is additionally (in)famous for being very opinionated, especially on matters related to the rock/metal scene, and for the rate at which media outlets run articles about his opinions. This culminated in the now-memetic question "But what does Corey Taylor think?" being routinely spammed in the comment sections of such outlets; when asked to comment on the meme by Metal Hammer and Loudwire, Corey stated that "for a while, it really pissed [him] off", but he now finds it "hilarious".
Corey is currently married to Alicia Dove, a dancer and the founder of a dance-rock group called Cherry Bombs, and had two prior marriages. His son from one of his previous marriages, Griffin Taylor, is an aspiring media personality and music artist; he is currently the lead vocalist for the metal band Vended (which also contains a child of another Slipknot member, Shawn Crahan's son Simon, on drums).
Discography
With Slipknot
- Slipknot (June 29, 1999)
- Iowa (August 28, 2001)
- Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) (May 25, 2004)
- All Hope Is Gone (August 26, 2008)
- .5: The Gray Chapter (October 21, 2014)
- We Are Not Your Kind (August 9, 2019)
- The End, So Far (September 30, 2022)
With Stone Sour
- Stone Sour (August 27, 2002)
- Come What(ever) May (August 1, 2006)
- Audio Secrecy (September 7, 2010)
- House of Gold & Bones - Part 1 (October 22, 2012)
- House of Gold & Bones - Part 2 (April 9, 2013)
- Hydrograd (June 30, 2017)
Solo
- CMFT (October 2, 2020)
- CMFB ...Sides (February 25, 2022)
- CMF2 (September 15, 2023)
Filmography:
- Fear Clinic (2014) as Bauer
- Doctor Who — Before the Flood (2015) as Fisher King (roar only)
- Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016) as Frankie
- Officer Downe (2016) as Headcase Harry
- The Nostalgia Critic as Himself
- The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2017)
- The Most HATED Nutcracker Movie Ever Made (2018)
- The Wall (2019)
- Diamanda Hagan (2019) as Azlan
- Bad Candy (2020) as Chilly Billy
- Rucker (2022) as Taco Tuesday
Bibliography:
- Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good (2010)
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven (Or How I Made Peace with the Paranormal and Stigmatized Zealots & Cynics in the Process) (2013)
- You're Making Me Hate You: A Cantankerous Look at the Common Misconception That Humans Have Any Common Sense Left (2015)
- America 51: A Probe into the Realities That Are Hiding Inside 'The Greatest Country in the World' (2017)
But what does Corey Taylor think about these tropes?
- Accentuate the Negative: His songs in Slipknot generally deal with negativity and he'll make sure to rant and scream about it. He'll target anybody, be it the music industry, politics, societal expectations, and even world.
- Autobiography: Corey has written four books that detail his own life, his experiences, his thoughts on certain subject matters, and what he feels is either the best thing to teach to his readers or how to deal with the current circumstances of the world and one's own feelings.
- Careful with That Axe: Some Slipknot songs have Corey singing normally, even unnervingly calm for a couple of seconds, only for him to suddenly start growling and screaming his throat out.
- Cluster F-Bomb: He will unleash a wave of F-Bombs in some of Slipknot's most aggressive songs to rhyme with said song's chaotic nature and his own vocal ferocity.
- Eagleland: Corey puts emphasis on Type B; namely a cynical take on the United States.
- Gematria (The Killing Name) has this as it's opening chorus."America is a killing name! It doesn't feel or discriminate!"
- In his 2017 book, America 51, Corey talks about the United States during the presidency of Donald Trump and his general dissatisfaction in not just the country's government, but also on its social and societal landscape.
- Gematria (The Killing Name) has this as it's opening chorus.
- Enraged by Idiocy: He expresses frustration over how sensitive and easily gullible people on social media platforms can get, as shown by a rant in America 51.Corey Taylor: "No one explains anything anymore—they just blurt out shit like they do on Twitter or Facebook or in any of the comments sections where good grace and common sense go to die."
- Harsh Vocals: Corey has a very deep and animalistic growl when singing aggressively, almost akin to that of an angry lion. It's most apparent in his works in Slipknot, especially in their first two albums, though they'll sometimes show up in Stone Sour as well.
- I Am What I Am: In The Seven Deadly Sins, he talks about how how accepts himself as human.Corey Taylor: "I have come to accept myself for what I am: human. I am not perfect. I am not immune to fate, but I am not automatically doomed for being alive. I feel temptations every second of every day and I am not controlled by them. I do what I want anyway, so who is to say I want anything else? When I want, I let these peculiarities run across me like dogs to their masters. When I do not, I keep them at bay with my will and my testimony. I do not cut myself off from what makes me feel; I just refuse to feel anything that cuts me off from what matters most. It is called will power. With a little practice, you can accomplish great things."
- Large Ham: His performances in Slipknot are often larger-than-life. Some of his acting roles also dabble onto this, as shown by him providing roaring vocals as the Fisher King.
- Love Hurts: Some songs written by Corey, such as Vermillion (Part 2), Snuff, and Hesitate detail feeling the loss of someone or something one loves. They're also inspired by Corey's personal life experiences.
- Malevolent Masked Man: It comes with being a member of Slipknot after all. He wears different masks depending on the album, but their scary, almost macabre appearance and style have remained consistent.
- Man of a Thousand Voices: Corey has a vocal range of 5 1/2 octaves, making him one of the most vocally diverse and versatile singers of his time. It also explains the distinctiveness of his aggressive shouts as well as his clean vocal singing in his bands and his performance as the Fisher King in Doctor Who.
- Manly Tears: He has shed tears in some of his live performances. This is most apparent in a solo performance of Snuff where he dedicated this to Slipknot's former bassist, Paul Gray, who died in 2010, and he did it again in 2017 when he sang Through Glass to honor Chester Bennington, who had taken his own life in that year. Given Corey has spoken about committing suicide back in his youth, it's clear Chester's death hurt Corey very emotionally.
- Metal Scream: He's got one hell of a scream and a deep growl that conveys his anger and frustration pretty well.
- Precision F-Strike: Corey would sometimes drop a swear in some Stone Sour songs and even in a few Slipknot tracks, usually the less aggressive ones like Vendetta.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Not evil so much as spooky and scary, but Corey, much like his other bandmates often wears red and black when playing in Slipknot to further accentuate their intimidating appearances.
- Rock is Authentic, Pop is Shallow: He has often criticized the music industry for what he feels tends to cater towards the most basic audiences and how mediocre content is what tends to trend. Some songs that he has sung, most notably The Heretic Anthem touches on that particular subject.
- Solo Side Project: He's done some solo music work, though it wouldn't be until 2020 that he would finally release a self-focused studio album, aptly named CMFT.
- Word Salad Lyrics: As a major songwriter for Slipknot, he qualifies. Much of what he sings includes eloquent and thoughtful lyrics... which he'll shout and scream at the top of his lungs. Not to mention those lyrics appear sporadically, be it in verses, choruses, or bridges.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: His speech in his You Rock Foundation interview is essentially this; he wants to let his viewers know that they're stronger and more capable than they expect themselves and to not go through the same demons that he went through in his youth.
