Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has admitted that Black Sabbath inspired them to form a band ahead of the huge farewell concert this weekend (July 5).
Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne‘s upcoming final concert dubbed ‘Back To The Beginning’, at Villa Park in Birmingham will see the legendary frontman, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward perform onstage together for the first time in two decades.
Ahead of the gig, Taylor spoke of his love for Sabbath and how they helped him form his band.
He told BBC News: “Sabbath gave us the blueprint, Sabbath gave us the recipe. They gave us the cookbook, man. The mystique was in the lyrics. It was in the sound. It was in the way that everything was just a little darker.”
Taylor also went to say that the track ‘Black Sabbath’ released in 1970 by Osbourne’s band, is “one of the scariest songs I ever heard”, which he plays when he “wants to go someplace mentally”.
He added: “I don’t have to look for, you know, [The Omen‘s] Damien Thorn. I don’t have to look for [Danish metal band] Mercyful Fate.
“I go back to the beginning. I go back to Black Sabbath, the song and the rest is history.”
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Black Sabbath’s stacked, star-studded bill boasts an array of heavyweights from the worlds of metal and rock. These include Tool, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and the surviving members of Soundgarden.
Last week, the band shared their first behind-the-scenes look at preparations for their upcoming final show. The Prince Of Darkness has not played a full gig since 2018, and has undergone multiple surgeries and experienced numerous health problems in recent years, including Parkinson’s disease.
Despite his health, Osbourne has said he is “giving 120 per cent” as he prepares for his last performance. “I’ve got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal,” the singer said. “It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. All I can say is I’m giving 120 per cent. If my God wants me to do the show, I’ll do it.”
He had previously told fans that he was “in heavy training” for the Black Sabbath farewell concert, and was back in the gym. Osbourne also said he would only be “doing little bits and pieces” with Sabbath at Villa Park amid his health problems: “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”
Over the weekend (June 28), it was revealed that Black Sabbath had been given the freedom of the city of Birmingham ahead of their final gig, with all four original band members presented with scrolls and medals by the Lord Mayor. The honour was given at a private ceremony on Saturday, which recognised the band’s significance as heavy metal pioneers from the city.
The final concert is set to boost Birmingham’s economy by a whopping £20million, according to reports.
Elsewhere, Geezer Butler previously shared that he was a fan of Slipknot and the ’90s nu-metal explosion.
Taylor also previously recalled the moment he first met Osbourne, when the Black Sabbath frontman asked if he could be the tenth member in Slipknot.
