Asking Alexandria lead guitarist Ben Bruce recently appeared as a guest on BBC’s The Rock Show with Johnnie Walker and compared Corey Taylor in Slipknot and Stone Sour after choosing him as his ‘Rock God.’
Slipknot and Stone Sour lead vocalist Corey Taylor is known for his unique and distinguishable voice. He started his music career with Stone Sour in 1992 and then joined Slipknot in 1997 to replace their original singer, Anders Colsefni. Besides those two prominent bands, Taylor has also pursued a successful solo career since his debut album titled ‘CMFT’ in 2020.
Looking at all the different things he’s done so far, Taylor’s incredibly versatile vocal style stands out the most. The singer sometimes shows himself with his emotional and calm tone. On the other hand, he also can sing in haunting and eerie sounds. He has been experimenting with different genres, so it probably helps him develop his vocal technique in diverse ways.
During a recent interview, when Ben Bruce was asked to choose his ‘Rock God,’ the first name that came to his mind was Corey Taylor. The guitarist revealed that Taylor greatly inspired him since his childhood. He first heard his voice in Slipknot, then listened to Stone Sour. He couldn’t believe that Taylor was the same guy in these two bands since his tone was very different. He did see the diversity in his vocals and thought he was a fantastic singer. Then, Bruce had a chance to meet his icon, with whom he became close friends over the years.
Ben Bruce comparing Corey Taylor in Slipknot and Stone Sour:
“My ‘Rock God’ is the ‘Great Big Mouth’ from Slipknot, Stone Sour, and his solo work, Mr. Corey Taylor. Corey has been someone that’s inspired and influenced me since I was probably ten or eleven years old. I was listening to a lot of blues music and other rock and metal music that’s passionate too, but there was just something about Slipknot where I was just mind-blown.
As I said, I’d never heard anything like it. And then, from there, I discovered Stone Sour of his. I think the first song I heard from them was ‘Bother.’ I just remember thinking, ‘There is no way this is the same guy.‘ It really, for me, was those softer, almost rockier ballads in Stone Sour that really made me think, ‘Okay, this guy is the real deal.’
From there, Corey and I have ended up becoming quite good friends over the years, which is incredible to think about considering what an inspiration he was to me growing up and still is to this day. That’s why I’m choosing Mr. Corey Taylor as my ‘Rock God.'”
You can listen to this part of the radio broadcast below.
