COREY TAYLOR’S GUIDE TO BEING… HAPPY?

You think you know Corey Taylor?

Sure you do. He’s one of the biggest characters in our world. Metal’s Great Big Mouth. The man who’s spawned a thousand memes. For 20 years, he’s told us exactly what he thinks… about everything. We’ve watched him take on the haters, rant about reality TV, and even knock Kanye West down a peg or two…

So when he announced his debut solo album, CMFT, we thought it was safe to assume it’d fall somewhere between the dark depths of Slipknot and the metal- tinged anthemia of his other gig, Stone Sour. On July 29, Corey released two singles to kick things off: the bright, melodic Black Eyes Blue, and hubristic cut CMFT Must Be Stopped. As the video for the latter hit the internet, shocked Maggots howled into the void. There were fire-breathing, leather-clad women. Ten-foot-high flashing letters spelling out his initials. Cameos from anyone who’s anyone in metal, from Lars Ulrich, to Rob Halford, Babymetal and Manson. A verse each from hip hop artists Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie, and then Corey himself, bare chested, a championship wrestling belt across his shoulder, rapping over a swaggering bop that could soundtrack a bloody Royal Rumble. Understated it is not.

Online the debate raged, fans unable to decide if he had just entered an exciting new era or had just dropped the stinker of his career. Today, Corey hoots with laughter at the response. “All the pretentious