Corey Taylor has spoken about the new Slipknot album, telling fans it will be “‘Iowa‘ levels of heavy.”

The metal band’s last album ‘.5: The Gray Chapter‘ was released in 2014. It was their first record not to feature bassist Paul Gray following his death in 2010.

Appearing at a Q&A session hosted by Kerrang!, Taylor discussed the group’s latest project. “I have fantastic news,” he said. “Some of you know, but I’ll just make it official right now: we are working on a new album. It’s only in the demo stages right now, however we have very serious, tentative plans – and I say that because the best way to make God laugh is to announce your plans out loud – to go into the studio at the beginning of next year and get this fucking going.”


He continued to reveal how the record was sounding in its infancy, saying: “We have 16 songs written right now and they are fucking dangerous. I loved ‘.5’, but this album, to me, makes ‘.5’ look like nobody’s business. This is ‘Iowa’ levels of heavy. And I have to go out and tour this shit at my age – I can feel those songs in my back!”

Taylor added that he was “really, really excited” about the record and that he talks to the rest of the band “all the time”. “So be prepared for 2019, which, weirdly, is the 20th anniversary of our first album,” he said. “Shit’s about to get fucking real again! So take that as you will.”

In December 2017, Slipknot’s Clown told NME the band were “about a year away from being in the studio.” “I’ll be in the studio in November 2018,” he said. “There’s a plethora of shit written. I don’t wanna be told by a label when to write, like some fucking Cheerio. I wanna write because I write.”

Meanwhile, Taylor recently said the lyrics on the band’s new songs are “some of the best [he’s] ever written.” “It’s been a heavy couple of years for me personally,” he said. “So I’m working out some things, personally for myself, which has been great. I’ve been able to grab ahold of some of the depression that I’ve been fighting and formulate the way that I want to describe it. It’s probably the most I’ve shared in years.”