The big question since Paul Gray died last month has been, “Will Slipknot go on without him?” On the one hand a member passing away is obviously a huge emotional trauma for a band to have to cope with, and Gray was, at least as I’ve always heard it, a key songwriter for the group; on the other hand, bands persevere in the face of tragedy all the time, and there’s already another potential bass player in the band (and I suspect they could make do without a second percussionist/third drummer/whatever) if they didn’t want to bring someone new into the fold.

But – no shocks here – Jim Root, guitarist and guy who gets to sleep with Cristina Scabbia, says the band hasn’t even discussed it yet. From an interview posted on the official Sonisphere site:

Click to read more…

There are really two questions on the mind of every Slipknot fan right now: “How did Paul Gray die?” and “Will Slipknot go on without him?” And, unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that either question is getting answered just yet.

Slipknot, Gray’s widow, Brenna, and his brother, Tony, held a press conference yesterday, but the question of Slipknot’s future wasn’t addressed – which makes sense. These guys are clearly grieving, and to even think about whether or not to try and replace their friend is probably just too much right now. So the press conference basically amounted to Brenna, Tony, and various members of the band eulogizing Gray. It’s sad and it’s touching and there isn’t really much else to say about it.

Meanwhile, Metal Insider reports the immediate results of Gray’s autopsy were inconclusive – although there are no signs of foul play, and it could take four to six weeks for the toxicology reports to be delivered. Consequently, the cause of death is “still under investigation” by the Urbandale, IA police force.

-AR

Slipknot always take extended breaks in-between albums; that downtime is usually used for Corey Taylor to go do something with Stone Sour, Joey Jordison and Shawn “Clown” Crahan to go play with/produce whomever the hell they’re playing with/producing at the moment, and the rest of the band to pretty much fall off the face of the planet. Not to be rude or anything, I mean, maybe the other six dudes in the band all have very their own musical side-projects, but I’ve never heard about any of them, which isn’t a great sign.

But Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn (a.k.a. “The one whose mask has a Pinocchio schnozz“) is getting in on the action now: Lambgoat reports that he is now the new bassist for Will Haven. So, hey, lookit that! He can do more than hit a garbage can with a baseball bat and jerk-off his nose. Killer.

Click to read more…

Let the haters hate: Slipknot are a good band, and, more than that, they’re a good band that has show substantial growth from album to album – and their most recent release, All Hope is Gone, is no exception. Sonically, the record is something of a codification of everything the band has ever done, which means the Stone Sourisms (clean vocals, reasonably radio-friendly alt-rock anthems, moody power ballads, etc.) of Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses are here once again. Whether or not that’s a good thing, ultimately, will depend solely on the tastes of the listener.

Click to read more…