Corey Taylor dedicates Slipknot's new album to Joey Jordison, and says "We were hoping to mend fences with him"

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By ( Metal Hammer ) published

Corey Taylor says he wishes that he had rekindled his friendship with his former bandmate Joey Jordison before the drummer's death

Corey Taylor and Joey Jordison of Slipknot
(Image credit: Chris Polk/FilmMagic)

Corey Taylor has expressed his regret for not making amends with former Slipknot bandmate Joey Jordison before his death in July 2021.

During a new interview with The Fader, the vocalist dedicates Slipknot's new album, The End So Far, to the late drummer, adding that the realisation of Jordison being no longer around "crept in" whilst they were making it.

"We dedicated the album to him,” Taylor says. “We hoped it wouldn’t happen, and when it did it was a sad resolve that… for somebody that creative and explosive".

Detailing his remorse on not rekindling his relationship with Jordison prior to his passing (the drummer left Slipknot in 2013 after allegedly being fired, although it was declared at the time that he departed the band due to personal reasons), Taylor continues, “I just wish we hadn’t lost him this soon. We were hoping to mend fences with him, and it’s one of those things that tells you: whatever you need to do, do it now, because you never know when you’re gonna lose somebody.”

Jordison was the second member of Slipknot to pass away, the first being bassist Paul Gray in 2010. Speaking of the experience of losing two band members, the frontman says: "They definitely woke us up a little bit, made us realise we’re on the other side of youth.

“There’s gonna come a time when we start losing each other again, and we should take advantage of the time we have right now with each other. I’ve tried to let these guys know how I feel about them and the music we’ve made together.

“We’re all such different people, and the fact that after all these years we’re still doing it together — and still doing it at this pace — you have to embrace each other after that.”

Taylor previously spoke of the rift between him and Jordison last week while in conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music. 

"We had talked over the years every now and then – it would just be random – but we never said to each other what we needed to say to each other. At least I didn’t say it to Joe," he admitted.

“But that was the complicated thing about Joey, was the fact that he was so many different people in one person… He had demons that would’ve killed normal people. He was one of the true musical geniuses I’d ever met. He was just complicated.”

Slipknot's seventh studio album, The End, So Far, is out now.

Liz Scarlett
Liz Scarlett
Content Editor

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.