Corey Taylor has opened up about guitarist Jim Root’s departure from Stone Sour. In a new interview, Taylor says Root wasn’t happy in the band, but the departure was difficult for Corey, who felt like everyone blamed him for it.

Since Root parted ways with Stone Sour back in 2014, there’s been no hint of animosity between him and Corey Taylor in the duo’s other band, Slipknot. Before the 'Knot started their .5: The Gray Chapter album cycle, however, Jim Root likened Stone Sour to a “sinking ship.” He even added that one member of Stone Sour is only concerned with making money.

Though Root publicly stated he never had an issue with Taylor, Corey felt people blamed him for the ugliness of the split. “It was a difficult time for me, largely because everybody blamed me,” Taylor tells Metal Hammer. “Obviously being on the road with Jim in Slipknot was tight sometimes, but I feel like we were able to put a lot of that aside because I think in a way he realized that he wasn’t happy – maybe not just with Stone Sour but in general.”

“I feel like that’s helped him, which is one of the reasons why I don’t want to talk about it, out of respect for him and who he is and what he was to this band,” Corey adds. “I feel like he’s on his own journey that he needs to figure out, and I don’t want to be the one to talk about it. It’s not fair for him and it’s not fair for me."

Stone Sour have been experiencing huge success with their new Hydrograd album, recently scoring their fourth No. 1 active rock hit with “Song #3.” As for Slipknot, Corey Taylor claims the band “ain’t doing s—t” for the next two years.

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