Slipknot’s Corey Taylor: ‘Antennas to Hell’ is a Celebration of Fans + Late Bassist Paul Gray
Slipknot's highly anticipated compilation album 'Antennas to Hell' is set to be released tomorrow (July 24). Having prevailed as one of modern metal's most successful and iconic acts, Slipknot have a wealth of material to cram into an album that encompasses their career. However, Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor wants to reassure his fans that this won't just be a clone of the typical "best of" album.
'Antennas to Hell' consists of a 19-track selection with live performances of 'The Heretic Anthem' and 'Purity,' as well as a remix of 'My Plague. A 17-track second disc, '(sic)nesses: Live at the Download Festival, 2009' will also be included.
Corey Taylor recently spoke to Roadrunner Records about how the band chose the certain tracks featured on 'Antennas to Hell.' "We’ve got these ‘radio hits,’ and then we’ve got songs the fans have made hits, the anthems," explains Taylor. "It really took no time at all to get those together, and it’s a good problem to have. And trust me, this band shudders at the thought of calling something a ‘greatest hits’ or a ‘best of.’ To us, it was just a compilation to a, celebrate the fact that our fans have been with us since day one, and b, to basically celebrate what we call the Paul years. To pay respect to that, to the years that we had Paul, and everything we built together."
Taylor also explained the transformation required to give the fans a true Slipknot experience. "Every night is pain," begins Taylor. "You basically look down at the set list and you have to cue that up, you have to tap into that, and there’s nothing easy about it. It’s really hard sometimes. But at the same time, it’s important. It doesn’t lessen so much as it gets easier to handle. It’s one of those things where, the more together you feel in your mind, the more you can handle those memories."
Taylor continues, "The thing I had to learn a few years ago is that at some point you have to stop being just a survivor and start living, or you’re not going to have anything. You’re not going to get any joy out of anything, because you’re just trying to get through it. And once I figured that out, it became a lot easier to deal with those memories, to let them out and share them. When I look into the audience, I see so many people who I think can relate to that, and more than likely in a much darker sense, because kids today have it so much worse than I did."
Slipknot are currently co-headlining the 2012 Mayhem Festival. 'Antennas to Hell' will be unleashed for your listening pleasure on July 24.