Guitarist Jim Root has opened up in a new interview with Australia's Triple J radio station about his dismissal from STONE SOUR late last year — even as he and singer Corey Taylor were working together on a new SLIPKNOT album. Root said, "I think, in some ways, there are certain people in that band [STONE SOUR] that are just extremely impatient, and they think that they need to have everything that they have, and they need to realize that the only reason they have anything of what they have is because SLIPKNOT made it possible for them to have what they have. SLIPKNOT has graciously and kindly stepped aside and let this other band do everything that it's ever needed or wanted to do, yet this band can't seem to take a break for SLIPKNOT to do what it needs to do. And, I don't know… For me, it seemed like it was a little bit of a smack in the face. So it just got to the point, for me, where I couldn't stand it anymore, and I needed to work on SLIPKNOT, it was apparent, and it was becoming more and more apparent the more shows that we were doing."

Asked whether his departure from STONE SOUR may have improved his relationship with Corey by taking some pressure off it, Root replied: "It may [have]. But I've never had a problem with Corey. You know what I mean?! Corey and I understand each other a lot better than anybody else from the other bands could, because we've been pullng double duty for all these years. And when you've got other people in the bands that you're in that don't share that common thing, they could never really understand what it is. And after a while you become so spread thin that it becomes really hard to give a hundred percent to both things, and eventually there comes a time where you have to say, 'Enough is enough,' and, 'I need to put my focus a hundred percent into what it is that made this all possible for all of us,' And let's face it: SLIPKNOT is a world-class, cult-status band, and it's where my passion lies. That's not to say I'm not passionate about STONE SOUR — I'm absolutely passionate about everything that I contributed to STONE SOUR — but there are certain people in that band that have a different idea of what STONE SOUR should be, and I don't necessarily wanna be in a radio band, so to speak, you know what I mean?! I'd rather be creative and be artistic and be able to play intricate music that moves and really takes you on a journey. About the closest STONE SOUR ever came to that were the two records that we just released, and I don't know that they'll ever do that again in the future."

Root told The Pulse Of Radio when he first revealed that he was sitting out the last STONE SOUR tour — before it was announced that he was let go — that he was already dealing with a lot of stress juggling the two bands. "You know, unfortunately I'm only one person," he said. "I can't really be in two places at one time and the amount of focus that I need to put into SLIPKNOT makes it really difficult for me to be on tour with STONE SOUR. It's crushing and it's heartbreaking and I really don't like the idea of not being out there, but I don't really see any other way to really do it."

Root said that he was dismissed from STONE SOUR in November 2013, revealing to Revolver magazine: "I was mad because STONE SOUR wanted to go do a tour and they didn't want me to be a part of it. So I had a little anger, and I had a little bit of depression. I was kind of hurt. But at the same time, it was probably all for the better, because I wasn't really happy in that band anymore."

Taylor addressed the issue as well, telling Revolver: "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.”

Taylor added that working together on the new SLIPKNOT album actually helped mend fences between him and Root, explaining: "We were able to kind of channel that and put it into what we were making, which I think in a lot of ways helped the overall aggression and emotion really get there."

Taylor and Root spent much of the last four years recording and touring behind three full STONE SOUR studio records, including 2010's "Audio Secrecy" and the double concept album "House Of Gold & Bones".

STONE SOUR recently entered a Burbank, California studio to begin recording a covers album for a tentative early 2015 release. There's no word yet on which songs the band intends to include on the disc, which will mark the recording debut with the band of new guitarist Christian Martucci.

SLIPKNOT's new set, ".5: The Gray Chapter", arrived on October 21.