Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor’s new mask has been a point of contention among fans, but for one diehard, it has been a defining moment of identity and resilience.
The Slipknot singer tweeted a link to a Reddit thread by user “CplUrbz”, who shared a story about suffering burns in a house fire as a youth and being forced to wear a TFO (transparent facial orthosis) — which looks similar to Taylor’s new mask.
CplUrbz wrote the following in r/Slipknot:
Taylor offered a response after a user tweeted the thread to him, further explaining his motivations for the mask, which was created by horror effects designer Tom Savini.
“Wow. I’m humbled by that story, and so glad that it could explain something I was trying to describe,” Taylor wrote. “This album is indeed about rising above the pain and being reborn. And the mask is also a reflection of it all.”
Wow. I’m humbled by that story, and so glad that it could explain something I was trying to describe. This album is indeed about rising above the pain and being reborn. And the mask is also a reflection of it all. https://t.co/wGjti5lStP
— Corey Taylor (@CoreyTaylorRock) June 12, 2019
Savini also recently spoke out in defense of his mask and the ire it’s drawn from fans.
“There was a lot of negative response, initially,” Savini told Revolver. “I just got a copy of ‘Kerrang’ with Corey talking about the man behind the mask – about me, but the fans were like, ‘Savini? Oh shit, my sister could have done better than that.’ … You know, he puts the makeup on underneath it, the hood, everything. It’s a nice mask, but he sells it. He’s the one who makes it look the way it looks.”
(Buy: Tickets to Slipknot’s Upcoming Shows)
Slipknot’s forthcoming album, We Are Not Your Kind, is due out August 9th. The band is currently touring in Europe, and will kick off the North American “Knotfest Roadshow” tour with Volbeat, Gojira, and Behemoth on July 26th in Mountain View, California.
