Corey Taylor and Jim Root have written and performed together in Slipknot since 1999. The pair also were in Stone Sour together before Root was dismissed from the band in 2013. “Corey and I are much closer now,” Root told Metal Hammer three years ago. “It’s the best thing, me leaving Stone Sour. We would have just ended up killing each other and driving each other crazy. I can’t spread myself that thin. I needed it, this band [Slipknot] needed it and Stone Sour certainly needed it. I just didn’t have the time to commit that I’d have liked. I think they were tired of my sh*tty attitude, that’s for sure.”
In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Taylor has revealed that he and Root have discussed starting a new project together. “He and I are very different people,” Taylor said, “and we were both going through our own sh*t in life. We reconnected, and we’re actually talking about doing some stuff on the side, outside of Slipknot and Stone Sour. It’s cool to find your friend again and realize that you can find your way back to people that you care about. Honestly, I can’t sit here and say that I wasn’t responsible for some of the bad feelings. That can only come with self-reflection, and the fact that the things that were going on in my life rippled and affected other people. Once you own up to that, you can start to mend bridges by showing people that you are truly sorry.”
Root understandably wasn’t high on Stone Sour after he was fired. Root played on the first five Stone Sour albums. “Some of the guys in Stone Sour, I think they just want to be a radio band and write strictly for radio and try to be more of a poppy rock band. And that’s not really what I’m into. There’s at least one guy in the band that’s only concerned about money. I really have no desire to associate with people like that anymore.”
Taylor addressed the dismissal at the time saying: “It was difficult, at first. It put a strain between he and I for a little bit. It was one of those things where the timing just sucked. But at the same time, we knew that, on both sides, we’ve gotta do what we’ve gotta do.”
Stone Sour hasn’t performed since touring for 2017’s “Hyrdrograd” album. Since then, Taylor has worked with Slipknot and also on his debut solo album, “CMFT.”
