Slipknot’s Iowa stands as one of the band’s landmark achievements and one of the finest alternative metal albums of all-time, due in large part to frontman Corey Taylor’s extreme vocal performances.
A rare clip has now surfaced of Taylor recording a particularly brutal take for the song “Gently” back on March 10th, 2001. If you thought his screams were vicious on the album, hearing them isolated — sans reverb or effects — is even more jaw-dropping.
The 45-second footage sees Taylor in the dark, candlelit studio, unleashing terrifying throat-shredding screams and guttural howls. They sound so intense, it’s a wonder Taylor didn’t damage his vocal cords in the process.
One of the top comments on the video reads, “Those screams sound so painful. Not in any kind of good way.”
The rest of comment section expresses similar disbelief at how Taylor somehow didn’t damage his voice with the harrowing screams.
“I really can’t comprehend how Corey’s vocal cords have survived this long,” read another comment. “Just listen to the aggression he’s putting into these screams.”
As for Slipknot, the band recently announced a new album THE END, SO FAR, due out September 30th. The LP will drop shortly after Slipknot embark on the fall leg of their Knotfest Roadshow tour. The outing kicks off September 20th in Nashville and runs through October 7th in Irvine, California. Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Watch the 2001 studio footage of Corey Taylor below.