Slipknot guitarist Jim Root opened up about his early days with Stone Sour and his transition into Slipknot. He shared candid thoughts in an interview on the RIDE BYND podcast.
Root reflected on joining Stone Sour despite not connecting with the band’s musical direction at the time. He explained what ultimately drew him in — and what followed when Corey Taylor left to join Slipknot.
“You know, one week I was going to work punching a clock rehearsing with DeadFront doing weekend gigs and literally a week later I’m in Malibu recording with Ross Robinson and all the guys in Slipknot, which was really cool because I had always wanted to play with Joey,” Root said. “He was one of those drummers that he just had something, you know, and I knew much like Corey, you know, when I joined Stone Sour, I joined Stone Sour because I saw — I didn’t necessarily love the music Stone Sour was doing at the time. It wasn’t really my vibe. Was a little bit more on the kind of quote unquote like hair metal or butt rock kind of vibe or whatever you want to call it. You know what I mean? And I like kind of edgier kind of shit that has more teeth, you know what I mean?”
Despite his reservations about the music, Root said it was Corey Taylor’s undeniable presence that convinced him to join regardless.
“But I saw something in Corey that was undeniable. He has that stardust. He has that thing and you can just tell that he’s so passionate about what he does that he puts his soul into it,” he continued. “And then the dude’s so talented. It’s like I have to play guitar in this band regardless of what it is. Like we can make it into what it can be, you know.”
Root then described the emotional impact of Taylor’s departure and the opportunity that followed.
“And then when he left to join Slipknot, I was absolutely devastated. But then I had the opportunity to work, you know, with Corey again. And also to work with Mick, who is probably one of the best guitar players in the world, even by Midwest standards, and a guy that I had seen play in other bands before, that has the technical proficiency of guitar players that I’d only seen on television or in videotapes,” he said. “It’s hard to believe guys like that, you know, they exist in Iowa, you know. And I’m truly just blessed to be able to work with the guys that I was able to work with.”
Root’s comments offer a rare look into the personal and musical dynamics that shaped his path from Stone Sour to becoming a core member of Slipknot.
Root’s relationship with Stone Sour did not end on his own terms. He was dismissed from the band at the end of 2013, with the departure officially announced in May 2014. This came even as he and Taylor were actively collaborating on new Slipknot material. Root made clear at the time that the exit was not his choice, telling a fan on Instagram: “Not my decision. Not happy about it.”
In the aftermath of the split, Root was candid about his frustrations with the band’s direction. He accused Stone Sour of chasing a more commercial, radio-friendly sound and pointed to financial motivations within the group as a driving force behind the decision. He went as far as describing the band as a “sinking ship,” saying some members were “only concerned about money.” The remarks painted a picture of a creative environment that had grown increasingly at odds with his own artistic instincts — the same instincts that had made him hesitant to join the band in the first place.
Despite the bitterness of the split, the fallout between Root and Taylor proved short-lived. The two channeled their frustrations directly into the recording of Slipknot’s .5: The Gray Chapter. They used the tension as creative fuel rather than letting it fracture their working relationship. The experience ultimately brought them closer together rather than driving them apart.
Root has since reflected on the departure with a markedly different perspective. “Corey and I are much closer now… it’s the best thing me leaving Stone Sour. We would have just ended up killing each other,” he said. The statement underscores how dramatically his view of the situation shifted once the dust had settled.
Today, Root remains exclusively focused on Slipknot, where he serves as one of two guitarists alongside Mick Thomson. The dual-guitar dynamic between Root and Thomson has become a defining element of Slipknot’s sound, with Thomson handling select solos while Root covers the rest. For a guitarist who once joined a band he didn’t fully believe in on the strength of one man’s talent alone, Root has arrived at a place that appears to be exactly where he was always meant to be.
Source: RIDE BYND podcast
