Slipknot: 10 Hidden Song Details You Totally Missed

10. Iowa - Corey Taylor’s Creative Process

Many artists have disclosed unusual recording practices to ensure a certain feel for a song or album. For example, Muse’s Matt Bellamy notes that the recording of Plug In Baby was done under the influence of some suspect mushrooms from a nearby field, whereas The Beatles weren’t happy with one orchestral section of a song, until the hired musicians did a take dressed in party hats and clown noses.

The vocals on the title track from the band’s second album Iowa were singled out by critics as a masterclass in conveying feeling through an adept singer emotionally attached to the lyrics. Corey Taylor would explain he channeled the dark lyrical themes by laying down his vocals naked, whilst cutting himself.

Former drummer Joey Jordison would later remark that he was “scared” of Taylor during this session, and found it difficult to be around. This is indicative of an extreme approach to conveying the darkness behind their song and lyric writing in the final product, which the band would continue throughout their career.