Corey Taylor, vocalist of Slipknot, explained to Battleline Podcast that the band members donned masks not to hide their identities, but rather for a creative reason relating to the style of music they wanted to create. Slipknot members’ faces have been revealed in unmasked interviews and other appearances over the years. When asked if being in a band where their identities were hidden was different, the vocalist said: “Honestly, it wasn’t that difficult for us to walk away from that after a while because the masks were never truly about concealing our identities.” It was more about becoming a part of the song we were playing.”
Taylor went on to explain the true purpose of Slipknot masks: “There was always a more creative reason behind those masks.” It was our ability to reach out to that person within us who required that song. Because it may sometimes get buried in the structure of just being a human when you do it. There are some inhibitions that will keep you in check.” The ‘Duality’ singer continued by describing how it feels to wear masks: “There are times when you think to yourself, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t go that far,’ but then you put that mask on, and it all fades away, and it’s just about getting to the absolute center, the absolute peak of that chaos, the eye of the storm.
” Being in it and wanting to dive in.” In a 2021 interview, Corey Taylor discussed what wearing multiple masks on stage meant to him, saying: “It’s a combination of certain aspects of myself.” Nobody is one-sided; everyone has many layers, and we all have varied dimensions. And that mask and that music symbolize a different aspect of me, different events in my life, different things I’ve gone through, different things I still fight for today. And when I take it off, I can return to being a more whole Corey, rather than simply this nightmare. But it’s clearly a part of me; it’s not everything about me, but it’s definitely a part of me.” You may watch his entire interview below.