Rock ‘n’ roll music saw much revival in 2012. With the return of Slipknot to U.S. soil, and a new Stone Sour album and tour, it’s only fitting that ARTISTdirect.com names Corey Taylor their 2012 Man of The Year. Much like Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Queens of The Stone Age), who is directing his first film, Sound City, Kirk Hammett (Metallica), who recently published a book on his horror movie memorabilia collection, Taylor unleashes his creativity through many different outlets.
Primarily, Taylor is the frontman of Slipknot, one of the biggest bands in the world. The multi-platinum outfit from Iowa has been unleashing their insane and intense brand of metal an audiences for over a decade. Now, most people who have “side projects” just do it for fun. Maybe cut an EP or something. Play a few select shows at small venues. Not Corey Taylor, though. Along with Slipknot guitarist Jim Root, Taylor founded the hard rock band Stone Sour. A bit more mellow and melodic than Slipknot, the band debuted in 2002 and has released four albums, all while touring and playing some of the world’s biggest stages. After a long hiatus due to the untimely death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010, Slipknot made it’s first appearances in the U.S. in two years this past summer headlining the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Also in 2012, the band released their first greatest hits album, Antennas To Hell. All four of Slipknot’s studio albums have been certified platinum. Throughout their career, the band has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning one of them in 2006 – Best Metal Performance for “Before I Forget”.
In 2011, Taylor released his first book, and New York Times bestseller, Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between
Born Bad and Damaged Good. In early 2012, he launched Living Breathing Films, his own production company with fellow Slipknot member M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan. The company made a big buzz at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Stone Sour recently released their latest album, and Taylor has inked a deal with Dark Horse Comics to release a comic book that goes along with the concept of the album.
Stone Sour released their 4th album, House of Gold & Bones: Part 1, back in October. The album’s lead single, “Absolute Zero”, hit #1 on Active Rock Radio. The album debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200. The sequel, House of Gold & Bones: Part 2, will be released in the spring of 2013. With only 4 albums under their belt, Stone Sour have sold over four million albums worldwide. Their self-titled debut and sophomore effort, Come What(ever) May, were both certified gold. Their third album, 2010′s Audio Secrecy, debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200. The band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards through the course of their career. The band kicks off their U.S. Tour with Papa Roach and Otherwise this Sunday in Bethlehem, PA – by Matt Bishop (Photos Courtesy of Roadrunner Records)