Corey Taylor says he exchanged "strained but civil" text messages with Joey Jordison before the drummer's death

Corey and Joey
(Image credit: Chris Polk/FilmMagic)

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has revealed that he was in contact with former drummer Joey Jordison in the years leading up to his death last year.

In an interview with NME, the vocalist reveals that the pair exchanged "strained but civil" text messages some time after the drummer's alleged dismissal from the band.

“We all had such a complicated relationship with Joey at one point or another,” he said. “He was a man who was tormented by his brilliance and his demons. And it made it hard to live with him sometimes. I’m not saying that to cut him down because we’ve all gone through it. It’s something that we as addicts, we as artists, we as really mentally fucked up people, have had to deal with.

“When we lost Joey, it took away the chance for us to make peace with him,” he continues. “I know some of us had talked to him on the side. We never talked to him as a group, and I think that’s something that we all regret. It’s a hard thing to realise that you missed an opportunity.”

In other news, Slipknot's latest release The End, So Far – which is dedicated to the late drummer – was their third full-length release to reach Number 1 in the UK Official Album Charts and debuted at 2 on the Billboard 200.

Learn more about the making of their new album in the latest issue of Metal Hammer. To celebrate their return, there are nine collectable covers, plus an exclusive Slipknot patch and giant poster, and a bonus Stranger Things Eddie Munson art print.

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