Slipknot plays its first show ever without Paul Gray (#2).

Blabbermouth.net has reported that SLIPKNOT's first show since the passing of bassist Paul Gray took place earlier today (Friday, June 17) in front of 25,000 fans on the Apollo Stage at the Greek installment of the Sonisphere festival at Terravibe Park in Athens.

According to a review that was posted at SonisphereFestivals.com, Gray's red jumpsuit, his mask and his bass guitar, stood symbolically at the back of the stage alongside his bandmates, who also "turned the clock back to don matching red jump suits and old school style masks."

Playing bass at the concert was Donnie Steele, a former SLIPKNOTguitarist from the group's early days, although he was apparently hidden from the audience's view.

Frontman Taylor took a moment to mark the enormity and significance of the occasion, stating, "It's been a long time. Hello Athens, how are you? As you know, tonight is very emotional show for us but it is not, NOT, a negative day. It is a positive day. A day for celebration. This is our first show — with you. Are you having a good time and will you celebrate with us today?" Later in the show, he added, "This is very hard for us but he would have wanted us to come out with you all and celebrate his life. So will you all help me sing a song for my brother? Can you do that, Athens? Sing so loud so he can hear us because he is here with us tonight. Can you feel it?"

According to the review, SLIPKNOT closed out its set with a triple dose of metal medicine in "Spit It Out", "People = Shit" and "Surfacing", before Taylor humbly thanked the crowd for playing their part in a night neither the band nor the Athens fans will ever forget, saying, "Thank you all for spending this night with us. You'll never know how much this means, Athens."

The band's setlist was as follows:

01.(sic)
02.Eyeless
03.Wait And Bleed
04.The Blister Exists
05.Liberate
06.Before I Forget
07.Pulse Of The Maggots
08.Disasterpiece
09.Psychosocial
10.The Heretic Anthem
11.Duality
12.Spit It Out
13.People = Shit
14.Surfacing

Slipknot drummer remembers Paul Grey on one year anniversary of his death

Tomorrow, May 24th, marks the one year anniversary of the passing of SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray.

Gray died of an accidental drug overdose on May 24th, 2010. Toxicology tests showed a fatal level of morphine and fentanyl, a synthetic morphine substitute, in his blood. Police said there was no evidence of a prescription for either drug. The autopsy also revealed signs of significant heart disease. Gray's body was found by an employee at a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa.

In rememberance, Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison has issued the following blog:

"Hey Paul,

It was so great hanging out with you yesterday and today. Talking and reminiscing about old times and seeing you respond with some of the strongest gusts of wind I've ever felt.

Paul, you always told it like it was. You're the same guy that wouldn't let me stay home on New Year's Eve back in 1992, and once drove over in four feet of snow during a storm, just to hang out! There was no one like you. That's why you were my best friend.

All the music that we've done together, all the times that we've shared, will live on forever. I miss you each and every day.

All right Balls, I'll see you on stage! Let's destroy.

There will never be another # 2. I love you.

Fuck it all! Fuck this world!
Fuck everything that you stand for!
Don't belong! Don't exist!
Don't give a shit! Don't ever judge me!

And to all my friends, the Maggots:

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you eternally for your support on this difficult day. You're keeping us and Paul's memory, alive.

There were supposed to be five days of tornadoes and rain here in Iowa, but the sun came out stronger than it has all year. It's good to know Paul's keeping an eye on things.

This is a horrible thing that happened, but each of you has made this just a little bit easier to deal with. Your support means everything to us.

Thank you,
Nathan Jonas Jordison"

For their upcoming shows, Slipknot has asked Donnie Steele to fill in for the late Paul Gray on bass. Donnie was the original guitar player in Slipknot and had actually reconnected with Paul in recent years.

Source: Bravewords.com

Corey Taylor urges fans to relax regarding future of Slipknot.

Corey Taylor, playing a hometown show last week with Stone Sour gave a review to the Des Moines Register regarding his future with Slipknot. Here is an excerpt:

On whether he is excited to perform with SLIPKNOT again:

"I hope it goes well, I guess, but at the end of the day, it's about [late SLIPKNOT bassist]Paul[Gray] and what he meant to this band and the fans. People need to stop being so overly eager and let us take this one step at a time. I'm not a guy you want to force into a corner. I'll walk away."

On the writing process for STONE SOUR's latest album,"Audio Secrecy":

"I think the real thing that changed for me is how far I was willing to go talking about things I was going through up to that point. I was letting go of the aggression attached to relationships with women, my family and friends. I decided to stop playing it safe and let these dogs loose. At the end of the day it was easier for me to drop the chain and not worry about anyone else's feelings. It was more important to sort out my own."

On his first book,"The Seven Deadly Sins: Settling The Argument Between Born Bad And Damaged Goods", which covers topics like his troubled family life growing up, knowing it didn't always present them (or himself) in the best light:

"When you're the main character, you've got to go there. I didn't have the best life growing up, but I don't blame them. I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't go through that. I know I couldn't hold back and had to really go there. That's how I've always written, lyrically, and from the reaction I've seen, people really enjoy that."

Taylor's book comes out in July and can be pre-ordered here:

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor unsure if the band will continue to exist

Here is a news article courtesy of Blabbermouth.net featuring a trascribed radio interview with Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor:

On why there has been such an inconsistency to the various public statements from all the SLIPKNOT bandmembers regarding the band's future and whether they have sat down to discuss their long-term plans in detail:

"No, that hasn't happened. The only thing we've really sat down together as a band and talked about was the tour, and what we're gonna do and whatnot. But I'm not the guy who's gonna sugarcoat anything, I'm not the one who's gonna spoonfeed false hope to the fans, especially about something like this. If this tour doesn't work, this band might be over — straight up. And I'm not gonna lie; I'm not the guy that's going to lie to the fans. I'm telling people as it is, because people [keep asking me], 'Any U.S. dates?' I'm like, 'Slow down, Beavis. Can we get through this and see what happens?'

"It's still a shock, man. I'm gonna be getting on stage without my brother. So until things make sense for me, I'm not gonna be the cheerleader — I just can't be. First of all, the fans would see through it. Second of all, I would feel terrible being that guy. So as long as I just keep it real and keep it in perspective, we'll see what happens."

On whether he is still in the running to be VELVET REVOLVER's new lead singer:

"No, I'm not VELVET REVOLVER's new lead singer. There's been so much speculation that I think that was one of the reasons that it kind of went away. At the end of the day, we got together, we jammed, some guys were feeling it, some weren't. It is what it is. And the last thing I need is a 12th band. Between writing and recording and writing with other people and writing books and whatnot, I'm set, I'm fine. I'm not losing any sleep about it. Plus I made some great friends."

On his plans for the rest of the year:

"I'm gonna take some well-deserved time off; it will be the first time I've had more than three weeks off in a long time, so I'm pretty stoked about that. And we're actually starting to work on new stuff for a STONE SOUR album — something very grandiose, something that could freak out a lot of people. And if we get to do it, it'll be huge and it'll be everything that anybody has ever wanted us to do."

Slipknot members discuss upcoming tour and new album plans

BareBonesMusic.com interviewed Slipknot members Joey Jordison and Shawn Crahan. Here is a typed excerpt from the interview:

Crahan: "Do I want another SLIPKNOT record? Absolutely. I'm not a fortune teller, so I can't promise anybody anything. You and I can get killed on the way somewhere tonight. So... Do I want one? Yes. Do I know [if that will happen]? I don't know."

Jordison: "As far as I'm concerned, yeah. I personally have, now... I don't know... probably over 17 songs."

On the upcoming SLIPKNOT shows, the band's first performances since the passing of bassist Paul Gray:

Crahan: "I'll say what I said [before]. It's kind of hard to follow, but... There's an F16 fighter jet, right? And when the pilots are in the jet, there's a giant pie — a red pie — around the jet. Do you know what that represents? It's a safety zone. So if you're inside the pie, you have more than a better chance of getting sucked up through the jet engine and thrown out, spit out the other side. There will be a giant, red pie around our stage. So it's a very serious, serious place to be. I'll be in tears before I even hit the first stair. And I need it very much — and we need it. So I'm looking forward to it, but it's gonna be very hard."

Jordison: "It's gonna be really cool. It's gonna a big event, for sure. It's gonna be really, really emotional. It's gonna be, honestly, probably the best shows of my career.

"I've been in rehearsal over the last few weeks with our new bass player, Donnie [Steele], and my feeling is that these will probably be the biggest and most emotional shows that we've ever had. I'm just speaking for myself and the rest of the band that we can't wait and [the shows] are gonna be amazing. Everything's on fire right now, so..."

Source: Blabbermouth.net

Slash says Corey Taylor not a good fit for Velvet Revolver.

In a wide-ranging interview last week Slash, who is on tour in South America told Voterix.com that Corey Taylor is not the right fit for Velvet Revolver after all. He also gave some insight to Scott Weiland's relationship to the band, talked about projects and future plans and added doubt to whether or not we will see VR resurface at all in the next few years if ever. Here is an excerpt:

Slash: "What happens is with VELVET REVOLVER, when we parted ways with [singer] Scott Weiland, I was so frustrated because Scott was such a pain in the ass. And I thought, 'I just wanna have some quiet time and just write some music,' and then the idea of doing the solo record came up. And in the meantime, no new singers for VELVET REVOLVER, that were really good enough for VELVET REVOLVER, popped up. So I just started working on the solo record, and put it out and went on the road. But the whole time [I was] very conscious of [trying to find someone] who was going to sing forVELVET REVOLVER — but no one's turned up. So in the meantime I just keep doing what it is that I do and I've got a great bunch of guys that I work with [in my solo band], I enjoy working with them. I'm having a lot of fun; there's no unnecessary hassles or anything, and everybody's good players. And now we're writing music for [my] next [solo] record, which is gonna be killer. So, you know, with VELVET REVOLVER, it's like Duff's [McKagan, bass] got his own thing, I've got my thing, Matt's [Sorum, drums] got his thing. If a great singer comes and says, 'I wanna sing forVELVET REVOLVER,' and we all go, 'Yeah,' we'll make a VELVET record. But I can do my own thing — I don't have to go back and do that — unless it's good enough to do it, you know what I mean?!

"Next year I definitely will make another Slash record with [ALTER BRIDGEsinger] Myles Kennedy [and the rest of my solo band] and go on tour. So at least for the next couple of years, nothing is going to be happening withVELVET REVOLVER that I can see 'cause I'll be focused on this. And after that's over, if something happens… I'm just not really concerning myself with it right now. We had all these different guys try out, all really good singers, but nobody has fit the thing, so, you know, I have to move on."

On the rumor that VELVET REVOLVER was recording with Corey Taylor(SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) and that VELVET REVOLVER was close to announcing Taylor as the band's new singer:

Slash: "Because of the social networking, and the way that information gets out so quickly now… We did work with Corey Taylor, and as soon as that rumor [got around], next thing you know, everybody is saying Corey's the new singer. And all we were doing was just rehearsing with him and trying him out — auditioning him, so to speak. So, in order to do that, our process is to… we take a lot of music that we wrote and we give it to him and he writes his lyrics and he comes in and we just perform it and record it and see [what it sounds like]. It's just an audition process; it's the way that we do it. So he did come in and do all that. But I just wasn't… It just didn't seem to fit right to me. And he's great — and I love Corey — but it didn't seem like the answer to the VELVET REVOLVER problem."

Slipknot's Corey Taylor talks about the bands future

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor was interviewed by m.Caller.com. Here are a few excerpts from the interview/article:

Donnie Steele, the original guitar player in Slipknot, will fill in on bass, but his involvement and the return to the concert stage doesn't mean things are all systems go for the full-on return of the band.

Taylor, who considered Gray and his wife among his best friends, is still struggling with the loss and isn't guaranteeing anything about Slipknot's future.

"There's a part of me that's ready and there's a part of me that's not," Taylor told "Weekly Chatter" in a phone interview. "Honestly, I have a lot of trepidation about it. I don't know how to feel. I know a lot of the guys in the band are trying not to show that side, and I can't."

According to Taylor, Gray was an integral member of the band. He was not only a key songwriter, but on a personal level, the glue within Slipknot. Taylor said he won't be able to just pick up where Slipknot left off as if nothing happened.

"He's irreplaceable," Taylor said. "Without Paul Gray, there would have been no Slipknot, and I mean that sincerely. So to me, it's strange for me to think about the future of Slipknot without him.

"This tour coming up is definitely going to be like baby steps," he said. "So it's going to be a long time before I feel OK about it. I'm not saying that I'm not open to it. I'm just saying that I'm not there yet, and I don't know how long it's going to take me to get there. So we're just going to have to see what happens. Only time will tell."

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor "Scared To Death" about upcoming Slipknot concerts

Corey Taylor, frontman for rock band Slipknot has admitted to being "scared to death" of playing live again after bass player's Paul Gray's death.

The Daily Express, reports the band have not played since Gray's overdose last May but they are due to make a comeback at Sonisphere this summer.

Taylor told Kerrang! magazine, "I'm scared to death. I'm nowhere near prepared for the emotion that's going to happen. That first show is really going to be the test. That tour for the most part is going to be a test. It's very hard, man... It's still reverberating through my life... We're coming up to the year anniversary of his death, and I still can't [expletive] handle it."

Slipknot release Paul Gray tribute shirt.

Slipknot, in conjunction with the charity Music Cares has teamed up to create a special tribute shirt to Paul Gray.  Proceeds from the shirt will go directly to struggling musicians and come in sizes small and medium. There is an image of Paul's number "2" on the front with a picture of him on the back.  Grey died ten months ago from a drug overdose at age 38.

For the band's upcoming tour of Europe and South America the band has tapped original Slipknot guitarist Donnie Steele top fill in for Gray. There are no plans to add a permanent replacement at the present time and speculation is rampant as to the bands future as a recording a touring unit.

Slipknot announce new bassist for summer tour

From www.Slipknot1.com:

For their upcoming shows in 2011, Slipknot has asked Donnie Steele to fill in for Paul Gray on bass. Donnie, as some may recall, was the original guitar player in Slipknot and had actually reconnected with Paul in recent years. Said the band on their decision, “Donnie was in the band at the very beginning, and rather than get an outsider, we thought it would be a fitting tribute to Paul to play with someone from within the family. Donnie was great friends with Paul and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate his memory than with someone who was there with us at the very beginning. The eight of us are looking forward to being onstage again and honoring Paul’s legacy with our families in Europe and Brazil this summer.”

Joey Jordison: "Slipknot will never die"

U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine recently conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Kerrang!: How did you find out that Paul [Gray, SLIPKNOT bassist] had died?

Joey: "This actually is very… this is really bad. How I found is, I landed in Des Moines from a plane ride back from the ROB ZOMBIE tour. I was, like, 'Okay, cool, I'm home. I can finally get some rest.' Once I landed, I turned my phone on, and my managed rang and I'm, like, 'Oh, what?' He said, 'Paul Gray just died.' I'm, like, 'What?' I'm on the fucking plane next to fucking people, trying to hold my fucking composure, literally wanting to just fucking destroy everything. I'm trying to talk calmly, and I'm, like, 'Why the fuck are you telling me this right now? Can't this wait until I get home? I'll be home in 30 fucking minutes.' Then I realized they told me because they didn't want me to hear it from anyone else. I just went into a blank shock. I was trying to calm myself down. Then my phone lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree. And I'm there trying not to fall into tears, and I just break my fucking phone. Right there on the plane."

Kerrang!: After Paul passed away, did it ever cross your mind that it was the end for SLIPKNOT?

Joey: "No. I didn't think about that whatsoever. We never thought about throwing in the towel, at all. We knew we had to forge ahead. I mean, my friend died, but what would he want us to do? Quit? No fucking way! SLIPKNOT's not about who's in the band. It's a lifeblood, it's a force, it's about a connection between a bunch of people."

Kerrang!: Did Paul's death bring SLIPKNOT closer together?

Joey: "Yeah, man, it did. Why the fuck did it have to take my best friend fucking dying for the rest of us to fucking talk to each other like human beings? But that's the thing — as soon as something's not right with any of us, we all come running. Unfortunately, it was too late."

Kerrang!: What made SLIPKNOT want to play Sonisphere [festivals] this year?

Joey: "They approached us. Initially we were still grieving over Paul — which we always will — and our initial reaction was 'no.' Because the whole situation was still really, really new, and it was still in the air, and we just didn't know. But then we thought about it, and thought about the amount of time involved. I talked to Shawn [Crahan, SLIPKNOT percussionist] and said, 'We have to do this for Paul, to have closure and give tribute to our friend.' So, people are gonna see the most emotional SLIPKNOT shows of all time. I'm not gonna let the cat out of the bag and say what we've got planned, but don't miss it. It's gonna be absolutely insane."

Kerrang!: You used the word "closure." Do you think this is going to be a big part of your grieving process?

Joey: "We'll never have complete closure. He was my best friend ever. He was my musical soulmate; we did everything together. But, I mean, Paul, no matter what… it's almost a disgrace to not do it. SLIPKNOT will never die. As long as we're together, it just won't. When it's time for us to end, we'll know when it's time. SLIPKNOT is my baby. It is my life. It means everything. Everything I do means the world to me, but when it comes down to it, SLIPKNOT… that's my blood. [These shows] will be the ultiamte triumph. Trust me, it'll be well worth the wait, man."

Kerrang!: It'll be very weird walking onto that stage, though, won't it?

Joey: "It's going to be bizarre. I think, honestly, Paul's with us in spirit. He's with me every day. It's going to be a really, really explosive show. It's gonna be good for all of us. There's no negativity, we're not pissed off at anyone. But I have to do this. I haven't put [my mask] on since everything happened. Nobody's put their mask back on. But when I do, and when all of us do, it's gonna be… we're waiting with bated breath for it."

This article came from www.Blabbermouth.net

Slipknot's Corey Taylor speaks indepth about Sipknot creating new music

Undercover in Australia recently interviewed Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor. The interview was transcribed courtesy of Blabbermouth.net:

On the differences between the way he approaches STONE SOUR and his role in SLIPKNOT:

Corey: "The great thing about STONE SOUR is that, for the most part, these are guys that I grew with. I mean, me and Shawn [Economaki, bass] and Josh [Rand, guitar] have known each other since we were teenagers. And then Jim [Root, guitar] was a guy that we kind of grew up going to see play live — his band was the most popular band in town, so we went and saw him play, and then years later he joined and he just naturally made STONE SOUR better. And it's kind of the same thing that happened when Roy [Mayorga, drums] joined — when Roy joined the band, it just naturally elevated everything; he was a guy that I'd known since '98. So it really is a family, it really is a strong brotherhood. With SLIPKNOT — I mean, I'm very proud of what I did with SLIPKNOT, and obviously, I'm close with those guys, but it's completely different. It was a band that joined later and I, honestly, in a lot of ways, never really felt connected to it — for whatever reason; it might have been me, it might have been them. I cast no aspersions on anyone. But that's just the dynamic. STONE SOUR's always had a really special spot in my heart, because it's the first real band that I started, and I put so much work into it, and I'm still with these guys that I've known 20 years. I mean, it's always gonna be right there."

On talking about SLIPKNOT in the past tense:

Corey: "Well, it's not the same, obviously, is it?! [Referring to the May 2010 passing of the band's bassist, Paul Gray.] I mean, it's never gonna be the same, so there's no way I can look at it any differently than that."

On whether he thinks new music from both SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR will be affected by Paul Gray's passing:

Corey: "If it happens, if it happens... There'll definitely be new STONE SOUR music, but with SLIPKNOT, there's such a huge piece missing now — a piece that the fans can't even understand. And, honestly, it drives me nuts trying to explain it to them. I mean, Paul always was that unconscious, almost lynchpin that held everything together. And he had such a great mind for the music that we created that without him, I don't see it happening very soon, let's ut it that way. If we do, it's gonna be way down the line, and it's gonna be when everyone's ready. Because there are other things in the band that are affecting things right now." After the interviewer points out that "Everyone must still be tender" following Paul's death, Corey goes on to say, "It's not even about that. It's individual issues, let's put it that way, and that's all I'll say about it. Obviously, we're doing these shows in the summer at Sonisphere and that's pretty much gonna be us dipping a toe in the water to see what happens. To me, it's baby steps. I think everybody's racing ahead without realizing that we kind of have to pick ourselves up first. Everyone needs to be realistic about it and it seems like I'm the only one who's being realistic. And it's a heavy responsibility to be the guy who is kind of coming off as the doomsayer, but at the end of the day, that's respect. I'm not just racing right ahead and going, 'Oh, yeah, we're gonna go...' I lost my brother last year, and people need to understand that and respect it before I start getting all 'hip, hip hooray' about everything."

On whether his feelings fluctuate about SLIPKNOT carrying on without Paul Gray:

Corey: "Yeah, a little bit. I mean, it's always going to. There's not a part of me that's very happy about jumping up on stage without Paul; it's gonna be very, very weird. If I'm cautious, it's because I respect what we've done, and I respect him and I respect his memory. I think too many people are just ready for us to kind of rush past that, and it's, like, that's not how the healing process works, and it's never a good thing to do that. So I'm tentative. I'm hoping it goes well. But I'm also gonna be realistic, I'm gonna be pragmatic and that's just the way I am."

Slipknot drummer speaks on performing concerts in honor of Paul Grey

Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison was recently interviewed by Kerrang magazine. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

"It will be the ultimate triumph," he promised. "I have fucking piss and venom in my fucking veins right now. I'm already just thinking about... when we step onto that fucking stage, the eight of us... I don't even know if we're gonna make it through one song. We might destroy everything.

"It's going to be bizarre. I think, honestly, Paul's with us in spirit... It's going to be a really, really explosive show. It's gonna be good for all of us... I think Sonisphere is going to be an exorcism.

"I think the best thing is to put Paul finally to rest, he wants to see us fucking rock. Once we do that, we'll be at peace and everything can continue from there."

Slash comments on Corey Taylor joining Velvet Revolver rumors

In a interview with Australia's Courier Mail, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was asked about the rumors of Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor could be joining Velvet Revolver.

"A couple of people have said one thing or another, but it's been blown out of proportion. I've made no comment on that one," Slash said of Taylor joining Velvet Revolver.

Slipknot's Clown Speaks Out On Upcoming Tour

In a interview with www.thegauntlet.com Slipknot percusionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan spoke about the bands upcoming tour:

"I do have three priorities. Two of them are more priority than the shows. The first priority is to get everything perfect and the way I want it artistically for the release [The Black Dots of Death] on March 29th. When the release comes out I'm going to start preparing myself for a June 12th show for Slipknot. Rehearsals will start in May and I'm looking forward to going back out with Slipknot. It's a very different situation, we will be doing a small tour that will be based off of not supporting a new album, we have never done that before. What is so special about it is we are there to celebrate the life of Paul Grey. We will celebrate his love for the band, his love for the fans, his love for the music, our love for him, our love for the fans, our love for the band and our love for music. It will be a grieving process that has needed to come. I’m really going to prepare myself after March 29th to start getting in the mindset that I need to be in for that tour."

Corey Taylor Joining Velvet Revolver Rumors Intensify

According to The Pulse Of Radio rumors of Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor joining Velvet Revolver are heating up due to comments from bassist Duff McKagan in a recent interview with ESPN.com. Asked by a fan what the most important attribute is that a lead singer should have besides a great voice, McKagan responded, "Any good artist has to have . . . the ability to tap the dark stuff and have it be real. Great lead singers have the ability to tap that. No inhibitions helps as well. Axl (Rose) and Scott (Weiland) are two of the best front men ever. Corey Taylor is one of those guys as well. He can tap it."

When asked about the rumors that Taylor was going to join Velvet Revolver, McKagan wrote, "I can neither confirm nor deny . . . He is a bad dude though. I like him as a human being and a singer. He's the voice of a whole new generation."

Slipknot Drummer: "We're Coming Back!"

Blabbermouth.net transcribed an interview with Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison by Australian disc jockey Triple J. Here is Jordison's response when asked about the status of Slipknot:

When asked about the current status of Slipknot following the death of the band's bassist, Paul Gray, last May, Jordison said, "Everything's fine. I get questions about it all the time, of course, so I just wanna set the record straight that everything in the Slipknot camp is just like it's always been, just like since we started. It's definitely been a regrouping. We need to do this, and the people need it, and we're coming back. It's something that you definitely need to see. I'm not gonna let the cat out of the bag about what we're actually doing, but it's gonna be a definite celebration — it's gonna be the ultimate gathering, that's for sure. And everything is great in Slipknot; we had a great band meeting, and everything is on the up-and-up, and we're ready to come back. And it's happening quickly."

Slipknot Drummer Clown Launches New Website

Slipknot percusionist Shawn Crahan aka Clown has launched a new website at www.apocalypticnightmare.com. The website is for Clown's various side projects.

Corey Taylor Speaks Out On Velvet Revolver, Slipknot, and Stone Sour

Billobard.com recently conducted an interview with Slipknot/Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

When asked about rumors he is the new frontman for Velvet Revolver:

"To be continued!" Taylor tells Billboard.com.

Speaking about the future of Slipknot since the death of bandmate Paul Grey:

"I go back and forth," he acknowledges. Though the group has three Sonisphere Festival shows this summer in Europe and is tipped to play at this year's Rock in Rio festival, Taylor says that "there are moments when I'm like, 'Let's keep going for (Gray),' and there are moments when I'm like, 'It's not the same without him.' Right now my main concern is baby steps. We lost a huge piece of our band. We lost a huge member of our family -- in my opinion the biggest -- and it's a different vibe now. So right now I'm just taking it step by step, and I can only hope that the other guys in the band are as well."

About a new Slipknot album, Corey said the following:

"There's a lot of things I've got to figure out about myself before I can even contemplate that," he explains. "There's a big part of me that wonders if I'm the guy for that band anymore. I'm in such a different place in my life...musically, spiritually. I'm not the angry kid anymore. A lot of things don't mean the same to me anymore, and there's a lot of things I don't feel like saying anymore. Does it make sense anymore? We'll just have to see."

Corey also unveiled information about a fourth Stone Sour album being a possibility sooner rather than later:

"We were talking about doing that even before Paul passed away," he says. "It's something we're just kind of throwing around now. It's in its infancy, but we've definitely been talking about making another Stone Sour album."

Slipknot Guitarist Speaks On The Future Of The Band

Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson was recently interviewed. Here is a transcript of the interview for your reading pleasure:

On the possibility of U.S. shows later this year:

Mick: "Nothing for the States as of right now. We've got just a month in Europe we're gonna do — festivals, that kind of thing. A couple of our own headlining, some with METALLICA and some with IRON MAIDEN. And that's all our plans, currently."

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for SLIPKNOT's next studio album:

Mick: "We've got different people in different places. Joey's [Jordison, drums] out doing his thing. Corey's [Taylor, vocals] out doing his. But we all work all the time anyway. I know that Joey's got a bunch of parts. I mean, we always do — everybody always does. I've got different things. It's just a matter of coming together and assembling things and getting to work together. When you sit and play, sometimes I'll come up with something that is a SLIPKNOT fit, and sometimes it's just whatever. So, yeah, eventually we're gonna get together and start working on more stuff."

On when SLIPKNOT expects to return to the studio to begin work on its next album:

Mick: "We've got so much to figure out — what we're gonna do, how we're gonna do it. I mean, there are just so many things right now. We've had a couple of meetings and we've talked about things and everything's positive and we're working towards doing things again and doing them the right way."

SLIPKNOT recently announced that it will make a number festival appearances this summer, including the U.K.'s Sonisphere, Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting and Brazil's Rock In Rio. These will mark the band's first shows without late bassist Paul Gray, who was found dead in a hotel room in a Des Moines, Iowa suburb last May at the age of 38 from an overdose of morphine.

That news was courtesy of Full Metal Jackie, Artisan News Service and Blabbermouth.net