The Metal group from Iowa announced in 2013 that they will be parting ways with their drummer of 18 years, Joey Jordison. Singer Corey Taylor says that is was "one of the hardest decisions" the band has made.
He discussed Jordison's departure from the group in an interview with Metal Hammer UK via Blabbermouth:
"We're all happy right now and we hope that he is. I've known him since '91, and that was before we were in bands together, and he's incredibly talented; he's just in a place in his life, right now, that's not where we are... in the nicest terms."
Slipknot's frontman has kept mum on information on the new drummer, but has revealed a few details on their upcoming fifth album. In an interview, Taylor talks about the loss of deceased bassist Paul Gray, the departure of former drummer Joey Jordison and the current state of the band
"We were just knocked senseless by the loss of Paul, and then coming to terms with the fact that we had to make a really heavy decision about parting ways with Joe,"
The vocalist also shared "It's just been a hell of a road the past four years, and that's essentially what this album is. There's a lot about Paul, there's a lot about ourselves...it's us basically reconvening and dusting it off and saying, 'Look, we can either die under the weight of this, or we can live and crush everything and come back and be the Slipknot that we know we can be.'"
With the release of the 'Devil In I' music video, the band has revealed the masks of the new members. Although there's no official confirmation yet, hardcore fans have figured out the bassist Paul Gray's replacement. An article at Faster Louder exhibits screenshots of the bassist's tattoos, which are similar to 'Krokodil' guitarist and 'Mastodon' guitar tech Alessandro Venturella. Jay Weinberg, son of Conan O' Brien's E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg, is still the rumored replacement for Joey Jordison.
The band will be releasing their fifth studio album'.5: The Gray Chapter' on October 21 under Roadrunner Records. They have also announced a U.S. tour supporting the new album with Korn and King 810.
"We've been waiting a long time for this," says Taylor. "Not only do we get to tour with friends who we respect, we've also chosen a band that represents the fury of the future. Slipknot is coming to your town. And hell's coming with us."
Stay tuned to The Franchise Herald for more Slipknot news.
