Corey Taylor Talks Evolution of His Slipknot Masks at Mad Monster Q&A

During a Q&A panel at the recent Mad Monster Party horror convention in North Carolina, rock icon Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour, Bad Candy) discussed the origin of his current Slipknot mask, explaining its place in what he says is a continuing evolution that can be seen in each new mask that comes with each new album.

Responding to a fan’s question asking if his latest mask is inspired by Decker’s mask in Nightbreed, Taylor said, “There’s definitely some Decker in there. That’s probably one of the sickest masks ever created. It’s not just that you can’t see his eyes, it looks like someone has just pulled it, just gnarly. The aesthetic there was definitely an influence; however, I took that and then mixed it with little elements from masks past. Like there’s hints of All Hope Is Gone there, there are hints of Vol. 3, there’s some .5. There are little homages here and there, because I didn’t want it to look like Decker’s mask. I wanted it to look like there was something there, but it was also an evolution.

“And that’s what my mask has always been, an evolution of where I am in that moment. That’s why they change from album to album. I’m never the same person from album to album, so I don’t want my mask to be the same from album to album. I know some people gravitate toward some masks more than others, but for me, that adds that human element to it. That adds the soul to it, because if you don’t do that, then it just becomes a sticker on the wall. And you don’t want that. You want the music to evolve with you, so the imagery should evolve with you, as well.

“I know some of the guys in the band are very down with their mask, and they make little subtle changes, but for me, and for Clown and some of the other guys, we just love seeing where our mind goes. So that’s kind of where the new mask is.” 

Later during the Q&A, a fan in the audience asked what his favorite scary movie is, to which Taylor answered, “Halloween ’78, one hundred percent.”

Mad Monster Party took place Feb. 18-20 in Concord, North Carolina.

See all of our Mad Monster Party 2022 coverage here!

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