Slipknot are in a studio in Los Angeles recording the follow-up to 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind, and founding member Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan says the Iowa group are “making God music and having a blast.”
Speaking with Download festival presenter Kylie Olsson, Clown says that ‘great music has been written’ for what will be the band’s seventh studio album.
“I’m not gonna talk about how many songs [have been completed], because, honestly, I can't,” says Clown. “But I can just tell you that I’m really happy, and the guys are really happy. [Corey] Taylor is on some level of singing that I've never heard him, which makes me really emotional. Great music has been written, and because of that, my favourite singer on the planet has sang the songs.”
According to the percussionist, this will be the first time frontman Taylor has brought a “completed” set of lyrics into the studio ahead of recording his vocals.
“When I say 'completed,' I mean written, recorded,” Clown explains, “but he's still gonna have his time in the studio to project what he wants to for each individual song. So they're as done as they can be until he comes in.”
“So, we’re in L.A. That's about all I can say. And we’re making God music, and we’re having a blast. And it’s just great to be around everybody, and everybody is in the best mood I’ve ever seen. It’s a lot of fun being around the band; it’s a lot of fun not being stressed or having anxiety, and just doing what we do, because we've done it for 20 years. And people are finally, like, ‘Just do what you wanna do.’ And that's unusual for us, because it's usually me going, ‘No. This is what we're gonna do, whether you like it or not.’ So now, it's just, like, ‘Do what you want.’ And, man, what a pleasant thing to receive after all these years. It’s a beautiful thing.”
“We have nothing to prove to anyone; we only have to prove it to ourselves,” says Clown. “And I've always believed that our fans, our culture, loves us because they can trust us. They might not like what we decide, but they're, like, ‘At least you decided it, and we're gonna back it, because you thought about it.’ So, is the music different? The music’s always different. I wanna make different paintings. I don’t wanna create the same painting. Familiarity is good, but recreating the same thing is not, in our opinion. So, what I can tell you is this for this album: I believe this album is the final album to exercise the right of what we’re searching for. I think we’re mastering it on this one.”
“So, it's different. But I’ll tell you: I’ve never heard Corey Taylor like this right now — I just never heard him like this. I feel full circle. I almost feel like we’re giving homage to everything we grew up loving. I can hear so much of what I grew up, but it’s my favourite singer singing. I can't say, ‘Oh, you sound like this person or that person.’ I feel like I’m a kid sneaking a beer at a Kiss concert or something. I’m 14, 18, whatever… Let’s not say sneaking, let’s say 21, and I go into a KISS concert at 21, and I’m having a beer. And I really feel like that right now. I’m having so much fun with the guys and just creating. We’re so chill and relaxed because we’ve learned so much.”
A release date has yet to be set for Slipknot album seven, but rest assured, as soon as we know, you’ll know.
Watch Kylie’s Olsson’s full interview with Clown below.
