Corey Taylor’s Vocal Styles, From Screams to Melody
Corey Taylor is anything but a one-dimensional person. Not only does Taylor front two very different sounding bands, but he also has a solo project and flourishing writing career. So,…
Corey Taylor is anything but a one-dimensional person. Not only does Taylor front two very different sounding bands, but he also has a solo project and flourishing writing career. So, Taylor is never bored when it comes to his many projects.
One of the most unique things about Taylor is the diversity in his voice. Whether he's screaming in Slipknot or singing a melodic line in Stone Sour, he can really do so much with his vocal chords, and it makes for varied music. When Slipknot first came on the scene in 1995, their music was so brutal, plus their masked look, so it really seemed as if Taylor had found his niche by focusing on screamed, full-throttle vocals. But, very quickly, it became apparent that it wasn't all Taylor could do.
The Vocal Journey of Corey Taylor
Even in Slipknot, Taylor has shown that he's not a one-trick pony. Let's start with the heavy material. Songs such as "Scissors," "Iowa" and "Metabolic" show Taylor's absolutely ferocious side. Here, Taylor screams like a death metal frontman, and it makes for a brutal sound that attracted many of Slipknot's early fans.
But, it doesn't stop there. Even early in Slipknot's career, Taylor showed that he can do more than scream. Slipknot songs such as "Snuff," "Vermilion Pt. 2," "Dead Memories" and "Goodbye" are full-fledged ballads, and those songs show off Taylor's beautiful, melodic singing voice.
In his other band, Stone Sour, as well as his solo project, Taylor shows off more of this softer side. His singing voice is somewhere between a baritone and tenor, although some have different views on his exact voice categorization. According to Alberto Maracheski, he has the "second-highest vocal range of any known singer in popular music with a range of six, one octaves," topped only by Mike Patton.
"I know some of his lowest notes are not sung notes," Maracheski added. "I wasn't expecting all those whistle tones. It was a big surprise for me. His high notes in chest voice have an insane quality."
Listen to Taylor's absolutely guttural and punching screams in the video below. It really shows that he can go both ways: melodic and super hardcore.
