Especially in the world of heavymusic,the role of the producer is vital to an album’s creation. Having to play the role of cheerleader, therapist, musician, and studio engineer, some of the most respected names in heavy music have sat in the producer’s chair. Much like every other genre on offer, one such legendary metal producer is Rick Rubin.
Be it numerous classics with Slayer, the first Danzig album, or his exemplary work with System of a Down, Rick Rubin has plenty of pedigree in heavy music. Dig a little deeper, and you will find thatplenty of rock musicians haven’t enjoyed the Rick Rubin experience. Never shy in coming forward with his thoughts,Slipknotvocalist Corey Taylor is openly outspoken about his personal distaste for Rick’s creative process.
Rick Rubin Worked With Slipknot On Vol. 3
The Band Chose The Super Producer Back In 2003
After scorching through their self-titled debut and enjoying more success on their follow-up album,Iowa,Slipknot were in surprisingly bad shape in the early 2000safter touring their second album. It would be easy to look at their meteoric rise and assume the band had hit the jackpot, but their intense and physical live show, plus two mentally exhaustive album recordings with legendary nu metal producer Ross Robinson, had taken its toll. The band collectively decided it was time for something new on album three.
A long way from the classier fare he produces today, Rick Rubin had a great reputation within metal in the early 2000s. Slayer had just produced their best album sinceSeasons In The Abyss, and he had done great work with System of a Down and the criminally underrated American Head Charge. As Slipknot made the creative decision to branch out beyond their industrialized savagery,Rubin initially felt like a good fit for the metal superstars,but that quickly soured.
This Proves Rick Rubin’s Style Isn’t For Everyone
Things Don’t Always Work Out With His Unique Style
Personality clashes and artistic differences can happen when an artist is in the studio, and Rick Rubin’s style isn’t for everyone. Highly spiritual and relying on the quality of his ear, Rubin has a famously hands-off approach in the studio. Best described by Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, who worked with him on the band’sDeath Magneticalbum, Hammett toldMTV News(viaBlabbermouth) “The great thing about working with Rick is he’s never around. He’d come in and say, ‘That’s good, that isn’t, change that.’ And we would have to figure that out for ourselves.”
Metallica and Slipknot would both record future albums produced by Rubin’s then-engineer, Greg Fidelman.
This hands-off approach proved too much forGuns N' Roses' supergroup, Velvet Revolver, who fired Rubin from their first album for delaying the project because of his lack of work ethic. Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath questioned Rubin’s logic in encouraging the band that invented the genre to forget they were a heavy metal band, and The Mars Volta found his approach to be too commercial for them. His record of success speaks for itself, butRubin’s approach hasn’t always proven popularwith his clients.
What Made Corey Taylor’s Experience So Bad
The Slipknot Singer Didn’t Gel With Rubin Whatsoever
Much like the rest of his bandmates,Corey Taylor was having a tough time in the early 2000s. Struggling with alcoholism, Taylor would soldier through the band’s initial writing sessions at The Houdini Mansion for what would becomeVol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses), before getting sober for the recording process. When recording began, Taylor would grow frustrated, tellingMTV(viaFar Out Magazine) that Rubin’s work could be summarized as “he kicked it on the couch, stroked his beard and nodded and then he was out.”
It would be in 2011 while discussing their working relationship at one of his spoken word shows thatTaylor openly let his disdain for Rubin be known. “Rick Rubin shows up for 45 minutes a week,” Taylor began. “I respect what Rick Rubin has done. But the Rick Rubin of today is a thin shadow of the Rick Rubin that he was. He is overrated, he is overpaid, and I will never work with him again as long as I f***ing live.” True to his word, Corey ofSlipknotis yet to work with the large-bearded producer again.
