In a new interview with Download Festival host Kylie Olsson, Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan has offered an update on Slipknot's progress in the studio as they work toward what will presumably be the follow-up to 2019's We Are Not Your Kind. Clown noted the band is making "God music" and that for the first time in their recording career, Corey Taylor has fully completed his lyrics prior to entering the studio.

Clown would not commit to stating how many songs had been completed yet, but confirmed he and the rest of the band are "really happy."

"Taylor is on some level of singing that I've never heard him, which makes me really emotional. Great music has been written, and because of that, my favorite singer on the planet has sang the songs," Slipknot's keg-banger revealed (transcription via Blabbermouth).

"And this is the first time we can go into a studio with completed lyrics. When I say 'completed,' I mean written, recorded," Clown continued, "but he's still gonna have his time in the studio to project what he wants to for each individual song. So they're as done as they can be until he comes in."

Although he did not disclose which studio the band was working out of, the percussionist did note that they are currently holed up in Los Angeles.

"And we’re making God music, and we’re having a blast," he enthused, "And it’s just great to be around everybody, and everybody is in the best mood I’ve ever seen. It’s a lot of fun being around the band; it’s a lot of fun not being stressed or having anxiety, and just doing what we do, because we've done it for 20 years."

The Slipknot co-founder, who recently launched his own cannabis line, also said that the process is less combative and that the band is free to pursue their musical desires, opposed to a confrontational approach of the past, which Clown explained,  "It's usually me going, ‘No. This is what we're gonna do, whether you like it or not.’ So now, it's just, like, ‘Do what you want.’ And, man, what a pleasant thing to receive after all these years. It’s a beautiful thing."

"We have nothing to prove to anyone; we only have to prove it to ourselves," added Clown before expressing gratitude for the Slipknot fanbase.

"I've always believed that our fans, our culture, loves us because they can trust us. They might not like what we decide, but they're, like, ‘At least you decided it, and we're gonna back it, because you thought about it.'"

Touching on what the music is shaping up to sound like, Clown asserted the notion that Slipknot's music is in a constant state of evolution and reinvention.

"The music's always different," he remarked.

"I want to make different paintings. I don’t wanna create the same painting," he went on and noted, "Familiarity is good, but recreating the same thing is not, in our opinion. So, what I can tell you is this for this album: I believe this album is the final album to exercise the right of what we’re searching for. I think we’re mastering it on this one."

Earlier this year, Taylor had told Matt Pinfield of KLOS, "There's a chance that it could be conceptual if we can really do it right. The music is brilliant, it expands on what we did with We Are Not Your Kind and kind of blossoms from there."

Again, Clown turned his attention toward Taylor's vocal performance, which has given him a feeling of excitement that brings him back to his days as a kid and young adult.

“So, it's different," he said of the music, "But I’ll tell you: I’ve never heard Corey Taylor like this right now — I just never heard him like this. I feel full circle. I almost feel like we’re giving homage to everything we grew up loving. I can hear so much of what I grew up, but it’s my favorite singer singing."

"I can't say, ‘Oh, you sound like this person or that person," commented Clown. "I feel like I’m a kid sneaking a beer at a KISS concert or something. I’m 14, 18, whatever… Let’s not say sneaking, let’s say 21, and I go into a KISS concert at 21, and I’m having a beer. And I really feel like that right now."

Grateful for the experience, he wrapped up, "I’m having so much fun with the guys and just creating. We’re so chill and relaxed because we’ve learned so much."

Listen to the full interview below.

It is not known if Slipknot are working with entirely new material or if any of this "God music" is culled from the 15 songs Clown said (in 2019) were leftover from the We Are Not Your Kind sessions.

What we do know is Taylor has been plotting his new mask, which he described as "uncomfortable" and said it will "fucking scare kids." It even "freaked out" his wife, Alicia.

Slipknot's Clown Speaks With Download Festival's Kylie Olsson

The Evolution of Slipknot's Masks

 

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