Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor praises ABBA for the way their music "hooks you in" and has "full-spectrum lush production that felt and sounded big".
After Dave Grohl gave a big shoutout to a recently-reunited ABBA and even revealed he'd play drums for them should they ask, Corey Taylor has also shared his love for the Swedish pop titans in a new interview.
With comeback album Voyage on the horizon, the Slipknot frontman tells The New York Times that ABBA were always in his ears growing up in the ’70s, with 1978 ABBA: The Album classic Take A Chance On Me then becoming his favourite song by the group.
"I love the juxtaposition; the beginning sets the whole tone for the song, with this weird Gregorian monk-like chant going on, and all of a sudden the crazy European production kicks in," Corey enthuses of the track. "The modulation in those songs is beautiful; it hooks you in, the way it plays between the major and the minor. I just love the yearning feeling. When you put it on, I’m instantly in a good mood."
Detailing his musical journey and how ABBA played a huge part, the singer says, "I had Elvis; I had Motown; I had weird disco. Through all of that, I remember hearing ABBA’s music. It seemed like it was always on, and it was clearly different from everything else. It had this full-spectrum lush production that felt and sounded big. It was only four people, but those songs sounded like there were a thousand people being recorded. The math didn’t add up to me."
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Speaking to Kerrang! last year about his debut solo album CMFT and how his musical output hasn't always reflected his own tastes, Corey explained that, "I feel like the stuff that I’ve done in the past has never been indicative of the bands that I grew up listening to. I wasn’t able to really wear my influences on my sleeve the way a lot of other bands have been able to. And that’s not a bad thing; maybe I was just waiting for this time to do it."
And though there were (sadly) no ABBA nods, CMFT paid homage to a wide spectrum of rock – from AC/DC to Mötley Crüe, Slade, Rose Tattoo and the Charlie Daniels Band.
"It’s like a web, with all of these little strands coming down to my little point, and then my point kind of spreads it out," Corey said. "It’s me reminding people that our music does have a history, and it’s a very rich history. And if we forget that history just because we’re trying to carve out a niche for ourselves, then we’re disrespecting the very people who helped create this genre in the first place. And not only this genre, but all of the genres that are referenced – and there are many."
Corey is currently gearing up for next week's huge Knotfest Los Angeles event and livestream. The Iowa metallers will be performing at the Banc of California Stadium on Friday, November 5 for their biggest headline show to date, with their first-ever livestream also featuring a selection of songs from other bands on the line-up including Killswitch Engage, FEVER 333, Code Orange and Vended.
Watch the trailer for Knotfest Los Angeles below:
