Corey Taylor’s Anthrax ambition

Corey Taylor has told how close he came to joining thrash icons Anthrax – and admits he badly wanted to be given the job.

The opportunity arose after Anthrax fired frontman Dan Nelson in 2009, but before they regrouped with classic-era singer Joey Belladonna the following year.

The Slipknot and Stone Sour vocalist had been invited for an acoustic jam with Scott Ian and Frank Bello, and the trio went for dinner afterwards.

Taylor tells Talk Is Jericho: “They were like, ‘We don’t know what to do.’ Someone – I don’t remember who – jokingly said, ‘Why don’t you sing for us?’ We all laughed. Then we got real quiet and we were like, ‘Well, why don’t I?’ I was ready to fly to Chicago to start writing with them.”

But Taylor’s label stepped in, pointing out he had other commitments. So the tie-in never happened – although as a result Anthrax reunited with Belladonna for Worship Music, and Taylor recorded The House Of Gold & Bones twin albums with Stone Sour.

He says: “Charlie Benante and Scott had sent me a bunch of music and I was writing lyrics. A lot of stuff ended up on Worship Music. Not my lyrics – but when I heard it I was like, ‘I recognise that, I recognise that.’

“In retrospect I’m glad it happened the way it did. It still sucked because I wanted it so bad. I love those dudes. But they got Joey back and that album is amazing.”

Slipnot’s latest album .5: The Gray Chapter, reached No.2 in the UK album charts yesterday – narrowly pipped to the top spot by singer-songwriter Ben Howard’s second record.

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.