Slipknot’s Corey Taylor: Band Aspires to Have Historic Career

There has been plenty of talk about the lack of younger headlining bands that can lead festival spots and eventually inherit the spots on bills mostly occupied by metal's elder statesmen. But if there is a next generation act that seems ready to inherit the throne of being one of the genre's "historic" acts, it could very well be Slipknot.

During a chat with Argentina's Vorterix radio station (seen in the player above), Slipknot's Corey Taylor was asked if he envisioned his band following in the footsteps of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple and becoming a truly "historic" act.

The vocalist responds, "Maybe, as long as the fans are with us … It's out of our hands. The fans are the ones that put us where we are, and that's kind of the beautiful thing about it. We just do what we do and the fans kind of lift us up and they put us in that area."

Taylor says a show like their recent Rock in Rio headlining gig make him think that it's possible. "It was probably one of the best shows we've ever played and everybody was talking about it for days afterwards. So, for us, it's obviously something that we aspire to be."

The singer says he's always quick to pay respect to the acts that came before them and they equally try to show respect to the next generation of acts coming after them. "If we can be that band that kind of sets that tone as well again, then why not -- why not us?"

While the core lineup is no longer intact, with the death of Paul Gray and the exit of Joey Jordison, the band has the pieces in place to ensure a lengthy career. Bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg have filled the vacancies, though the two new musicians are "with the band" rather than "in the band," according to Taylor.

In interviews, percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan has revealed that he envisions Slipknot being the type of band that can continue even beyond the current lineup of musicians. "If we can keep it going, if we can keep the philosophy and the culture going, there's no reason why kings and queens can't take it over," revealed Crahan. "Don't be surprised one day, you know, nobody will be in the band. It'll all just be new people. I'll be 80 and there'll be a whole new Slipknot thing moving. I mean, we've got two new guys now, man. You never know -- my son might take over."

If that's the case, it should be noted that Black Sabbath and Deep Purple both had their fair share of lineup changes over the years, yet still are among rock and metal's most iconic acts. So as Crahan states, Slipknot could keep going with members coming and going so long as the core values stay intact and as Taylor states, the fans remain engaged.

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