> Be Corey Taylor > Be Called "The Neck" because your neck is huge > Hear Sam Johnson wishing he could see your neck more (I know it's a lighting thing, but my immediate response was "there's not enough neck on this guy for you? :P" )
"The tension that I'm hearing is from not perfect vowels" Just this once Sam, you misread that one. He is absolutely trying to sing without crying his eyes out. He finds this song really hard to sing live because he cant sing it without crying. So it's not a vocal issue, it's just pure emotion. RIP Paul
@@AtomicMonkeybutt I didn't say he was wrong, just that he misread it. I've followed Sam since literally day one and hes always spot on. I just happen to be a big slipknot fan and I know this performance very well.
Considering some of your thoughts about his vocals, especially in regards to his harsher voices, I'd love to hear you do a breakdown of a more traditional slipknot song.
Jared Dines has an awesome video on exactly this, called _"metal screaming doesn't take talent."_ Because people indeed always say that "it's just screaming" he goes up to people and challenges them, like.. okay, it's just screaming, go ahead, do your best metal scream. It's hilarious. Link to the video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WOfmnbU5S5o.html Spoiler; pretty much the only people that were able to pull off good screams ended up being people who were lead singer in a metal band for 20 years. :p
When he performed this live he was singing it for Paul Gray, one of the members of slipknot that passed away back in 2010 that also helped write the song. I think that his voice was kinda tense because he was fighting back tears but still an all around amazing performance.
Actually this song was about a woman. To quote Corey "This is the slow one. It's another personal one. Again, not naming names, it's about someone who helped me through a lot and I thought she felt the same way that I did and then she really let me down. At the same time, it was good that she did, because it was that final push to me figuring out myself. The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory."
His head’s tilted back because his eyes are tearing up, he’s trying really hard not to cry and tenses through choking up so he doesn’t mess up - the second the songs over he breaks down.
@@mcvey1281 check out the live in london video. the whole thing is on here. you can sing metal, and still be proficient in other styles. hes not chris cornell, but nobody is. having listened to him and hating the sound of his music. hes a dynamic vocalist, considered one of the best out there. ever seen shinedown live? they put on a great show too, and ive heard them play everything from blues to grunge to metal. so, im not kidding myself, i just have no reason to deny his hard work on his vocal range.
@@mcvey1281 pull your ass out of your face man, ive met mick and corey, and hung out with shinedown. you see, youre calling them shit.... be real man, theyre out doing world tours, both bands are, and sound city was damn good work, dave grohl even says he loves coreys voice. so, theyre world known, for both slipknot, and stone sour, and shinedown too, since you seem to be unable to see that... theyre all doing stuff most of the people in the world can only dream of doing. and youre sitting at a computer trolling my comments. damn dude, you are sad
This song is so powerfully sad. You can see through the performance that Corey is really struggling with the sadness but still menages to sound very good. Love this man! 💙 thank u for the reaction ✨
For those who don't know, his band mate and long time friend Paul Gray passed away a few years ago, and it still weighs on him so much, especially with such an emotional song. Imo Snuff is an amazing love song and Corey puts so much into it every time.
@@JacobHernandez I knew about Paul. This song however was written for a friend he ended up falling in love with wheb he was younger, but she didn't return the feelings. It also covers his struggle of getting over the pain and all that. At least from what I've heard from interviews and such. It's more a song of letting go of something not good for you I guess.
@@Bl4ckD0g right, I wasn't saying the song was about Paul, it's just that it's such an incredibly emotional song. Add on top of that the loss of a very close friend in an unexpected manner, and it makes sense why he struggled to make it though this clip.
So glad to see you have a positive atittude about every singer. Corey is a God amongst metal heads and the facts that his voice has such a range is only part of it. Hes actually a stellar person, as well.
He is a Metal/Rock God, but I'm sooo glad to see a comment about him as an actual person. Most people don't know how much he gives back . He's also one of the hardest working people in music today. 🖤🤘🏻🖤
I like that this guy realizes there are different styles of singing. So often it feels like professional vocal people want everyone to sing like on American Idol, but all of my favorite singers would be kicked off in the first round of that show.
Not necessarily directly connected to this video but after having watched you analyzed so many different singers. I am almost convinced I'm in a place where I actually want to take vocal lessons. Which is something I never would have believed for myself. You are so positive so kind so constructive in your feedback that it makes me feel like maybe I could learn to sing a bit better.
Absolutely! It is actually very, very rare for anybody to be TRULY "tone deaf". It's actually an abnormal trait in human beings. So, if you can hear the notes and recognize them when you listen to a song, you can absolutely learn to create them. We all have the hardware needed (unless you're one of the very small percentage of those who is truly tone deaf).
Code Name Well said 😊 I meant no disrespect, was just kidding. I know metal heads aren’t just 1 dimensional elitist who don’t appreciate all forms of music as they’re made up to be
Anyone can connect to emotion. This song and especially this recording just scream love and pain. His personal anguish comes out and punches though your own heart.
Cj Whitley He’d love it. The reason I love watching Sam’s videos is hes super into extreme music also. Check out his Underoath video, hes fan-boying the whole time. Its great 😂
@@cjwhitley6168 Yeah, iowa would be HILARIOUS! Dude is in a vocal booth naked and cutting himself with glass ... tell me more about the tension in his voice LMAO
IMO Corey Taylor is one of the best vocalists in Rock & Metal, he knows exactly what he's doing when he sings. Such a range of vocal styles from Bother & Snuff to Psychosocial & (sic).
They ranked vocals based off official recordings (no live performances, which one guy Guiness recorded at 10 octave range) and Mike Patton of Faith No More came in at 6 octaves and half a note. Corey Taylor was second with a five octaves and five and a half notes, but some have him at a six octave range. He has an incredible range. By comparison Axl Rose was five octaves, two and a half notes, Ville Valo was five octaves and a half a note and Mariah Carey was at four octaves, six and a half notes. He's got massive range while doing growl and distortion. That's technically amazing.
Please forgive me for forgetting his name at the moment (I always tell people his name and now I'm drawing a blank lol) I think the lead singer of Disturbed has the most amazing voice and range I've heard. Granted I have an untrained ear but what he showed in the cover of sounds of silence left me with a real appreciation of his talent.
@@oryan4395 David Draiman is who you're thinking of. His distortion is very clean. On another note, I do want to see, selfishly, my personal favorite singer of all, Adam formerly of Three Days Grace currently Saint Asonia, cover Snuff. I bet he would completely bring that necessary energy.
I love Corey Taylor's voice. He's one of the best in rock. I've been lucky enough to see both slipknot and stone sour live. He is an incredible frontman.
@@steved9129 It's actually not horseshit... Obviously Corey is not thinking about all of these things the moment he opens his mouth to sing but he is very very well trained. That means that he has heard all of this so many times in order to be able now to do it "subconsciously" in a way...
@@vickypolychronou6215 I don't believe Corey has undergone any voice training...Ok I get your point, but it's critique and deconstruction, an opinion and yes horseshit no because it's great to have a viewpoint, so in the cool light of day i think your kinda right... and you dont hear that on the internet often :)
I watched the entire set on RU-vid. He addresses that he recently quit smoking and felt he was struggling a little vocally. No complaints from the audience. Fantastic vocalist :)
He was also on the verge of tears because this video is shortly after one of his band mates and best friend, Paul died... If you watch any of the live videos of him singing this song hes either crying or on the verge of tears
Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) or Chris Cornell (Audioslave or Soundgarden), please. I also wouldn't be mad hearing some more Chester from Linkin Park.
@@kimmohakala6099 That's what I'm saying. A Layne and Jerry analysis would be awesome, as well as Chris. I know he did Chester once, but it wasn't the best analysis because he chose a song that didn't focus on his vocals and 'screaming'. It was more of a slow song, iirc. If I had my way, I would have him react to something unplugged by Layne (because, imo, AiC is one of the few bands best heard unplugged always), Chris in the official vid for Cochise for that scream, and Chester doing something like Crawling (but I'm open to suggestions).
I know nothing about the technicality of music, but listening to you speak about it so passionately makes me excited for music. Thank you, and I appreciate your videos so much.
So story time. What you're hearing is pure emotion dude. Not only did Corey write this song about one of his ex's but it was Paul Gray's favorite song to perform. Unfortunately Paul passed of overdose. So this song reminds Corey of him causing him to be emotional. RIP Paul, we miss you.
The tension is from the emotional attachment that song has to him and the fans as he dedicates it to Paul grey and it’s a chilling performance and I love it and love hearing him sing it
I agree with these suggestions. I don't even know how to describe Peter's voice and Ville Valo does this kind of cry thing that I don't usually hear male singers doing.
@@dgates6165 What are you even talking about? That's like saying a session musician's precision doesn't matter because that musician don't write the music... dude... like diction is the art of speaking in a precise and clear way, which applies to any word... like...???
@@jas_bataille In a book people have different accents and slang. Perfect diction in an audio book is not preferable. Someone that can act out different emotional events and play characters is far more important.
corey has 3 octaves max. i don't know what corey taylor you're hearing. and i love him so much but to say he has 5 octaves is just pure nonsense. only a handful of singers in history have had 5+
I watched Slipknot just last week. His vocals have gotten a lot better now, since he quit smoking. His fry screams have become nigh on album quality again. Second best live metal performance I have ever watched.
@@kylematthiesen410 Lamb of God. My favourite metal band for years, and they are just as good live as they are on albums. They feed off of the energy of the crowd so well too. And all of their music is good at getting your heart racing. I was exhausted when they came on stage and I still ended up in the circle pit due to the surge of energy their music gave me. I paid for it the day after though. Worth it.
@@PainHarbinger Lamb of God puts on a live show like almost nobody else can do. My #1 live metal performance has to go to Devin Townsend, but he's a different kind of act, so not really in direct competition.
jagdkotze Yeah its great that he recognizes singing styles that are typically considered taboo by singing instructors and the reason that he does recognize it is because hes a huge fan of extreme and alternative music (see his Underoath video) so all of this isn’t foreign to him
I love everything about this. Corey Taylor is one of my all time favorite vocalists, and the break down on his voice was unreal. One of the main reasons I love Corey, is the fact that he does vocals for Slipknot and Stone Sour, preforms beyond peoples expectations, and somehow, doesn't blow his voice out!
This is such a deep and beautiful song filled with so much emotion one thing that sam should know is why it's so hard for him to sing this song without holding back tears that's why it sounds kinda forced at different parts
He is not a underrated singer by any means. He has been a front man for slipknot and stone sour since like the mid 90s. Hes done collabs with tech n9ne, apocalypse, Korn just to name a few. He is one of the best vocalist in hard rock/heavy metal. He is not underrated at all. Lol
I love Slipknot and Stone Sour and much of that is because of Corey, but to say that he's underrated, I think, is a bit if a misstep. He's renowned for his voice and is the vocalist for one the most popular bands in the last 20 years. Just my opinion.
Shawn Begay even in this situation? I wouldn’t think so and there’s 0 indication he’s singing it for him right now. The song itself is about a one sided relationship that ended in a painful breakup
@@Shinyworldwide okay, even if it wasn't for Paul this time, Paul still helped write the song. So saying Rest In Peace Paul is still fine, dude, or anytime we hear a Slipknot song because Paul was a part of Slipknot smh
@@Shinyworldwide I know this is anecdotal but most of these "CMFT" shows I've seen video of, show Corey dedicate this song to Paul. Going hand in hand with that he has a hard time not getting emotional during the song.
I really wish you would check out some of Lzzy Hale's vocal performances! She is by far my favorite rock female vocalist, and I would love to see you reacting to her, either in their Jimmy Fallon live performance, or even in the live room (my personal loves are 'Bet You Wished You Had Me Back' and their 'Empire-State of Mind' cover) You're videos are awesome by the way, I love seeing each and every one of them :)
She is a great vocalist but terrible songwriter, but I think Lacey Sturm is much better, as is tatyana jinjer and both vocalists of iwabo. Can't stand halestorm but respect her vocal ability
I ain’t the best growler of all time lol, but I *learned to growl* through just *two simple steps.* Maybe this will help someone else! I hope! *Step 1:* To be able to growl like that, you have to get use to phonating with your false chords. The way I learned was to do this: to try, so to speak, “lifting up the back of my larynx” and making low-pitched sounds. Obviously, I can’t actually lift up the back of my larynx, but that’s what it feels like I’m doing, and so that’s how I describe it. (A lot of people who struggle with step 1 just don’t have any good cord closure. Practicing cord closure exercises while doing this step can help a lot.) *Step 2:* The sound from doing that is just false cord sound. So, then, the second and final step was for me to do that while singing in chest voice-in other words, to do a chest-growl mix. (When this is done, both the true and false cords phonate at the same time. You’re singing two times at once!) So, while I was singing songs (in chest voice), I would just try doing chest-growl mixes on random words throughout the song lol. This is how I approached my chest-growl mix singing: (1) singing the word in chest voice, (2) and at same time, "lifting up the back of the larynx" like I mentioned above, and (3) sending the sound a little bit more into my nose. I’m not sure why the nose thing helped me-probably for cord closure reasons. As Sam says, a little bit of nasality can really help with cord closure. And yeah, that’s how I learned to do growl-singing. Hope that helped someone.
Actually Rebecca vocal athlete who is another voice coach on RU-vid, she did say that using the mask is an important component of using distortion in your voice. So I think that proves your point about using your nose.
Silly request perhaps, but having your opinion on the song(s) too would be nice. I understand it's not part of your "job", but somehow, I think your opinion would add a lot and it's interesting to know what you think in that area too. Ps. I love this song so much. After all these years, it's still a song I frequently listen to.
I love Corey’s pure emotion here. He’s made it clear in many interviews that he feels very much when performing this song, so I imagine he’s almost holding back tears here. Awesome video from Sam as always.
Okay his voice is stunning. Thanks for introducing me to him! I always love your analyses. Pleeeasseeee do Queen Somebody to Love 1981 Montreal. I have yet to hear a better vocal performance and I need you to tell me how it was humanly possible. Hahahaha I will keep watching everything you put out though even if you never do that one. You're calming and passionate at the same time. :)
If you're just now being introduced to Corey Taylor, you should check out his other band, Stone Sour (especially the acoustic version of "Song #3"). He also provided vocals to a sort of all-star track with some other legends of rock called "From Can to Can't" that I think highlights his voice quite well.
There is no way Corey would be able to sing this song as perfect as you would like as Corey has stated many times this is a extremely emotional song for him.
I do wonder if part of the tension you mentioned could be the emotional pain he feels with the song? It would be interesting to follow this up with another acoustic song, like Bother to see how different he sounds. I love your videos, theyre so informative, and you point out things I never thought to listen or look for in vocalists. And Corey is such a fantastic singer, this was an insta-click and like! Thabk you for doing these.
Corey Taylor wears his heart on his sleeve for the world to hear. That's why he has the breaks and tension in his voice, he's fighting his emotions while singing. He's an amazing singer/ musician that puts all of himself into his music. He's one of the greats.
Corey was actually fighting back tears during this whole performance, his best friend wrote it then passed away years later. im 100% sure this affected some of those vowel pronunciations. id love to see you cover more of Corey. he's extremely talented!!
That “Tension” is probably because Corey has a very hard time singing that song seeing how his best friend killed himself (they used to love playing that song together so it means a lot to Corey and hurts a lot for him) :P he even broke down on stage while singing that song once.
Corey Taylor is one of the best artists out there right now just has so much talent I could listen to his music everyday love watching your videos wish you could do more of his music 😁 that growl he does gives me chills
His tension is from raw emotion and deep pain, and his tilt up is because he is literally singing to heaven right here. This is a rough one to examine. Knowing the back story to this performance in particular makes things make sense. I promise you style choice and technique are the furthest things in his mind singing this particular song durning this particular performance.
The tension in the beginning is him battling his emotions with the meaning of this song for him. There are certain acoustic versions where his voice totally cracks at the beginning. It makes the song so beautiful!
Also Bear in mind this is a very hard song for Corey to sing. It chokes him up damn near every time, I'm sure that is a factor in his voice being slightly different for this particular song.
12:42 “Yeah, that’s just so dirty!” 🤣🤣 I love how articulate and accessible you are in your vocal analysis, but that you also never lose your love of a great performance.
That growl is why I've always been a fan of him. Its so fluid and beautiful. Even in his heavier music it's not like most vocalists where it's just a growl that mimics words.
When he sings with his head up like that I just imagine in my head that he's singing to the heavens for Paul. Thats how I feel about it. even if he's literally not singing to "the heavens" its still got to be an emotion kind of feeling to the way he holds his head up like that. Right or wrong I think it really think it adds to the deep feelings that are in the song. About 7 years ago there was a real bad tornado in the same county that I was attending a concert at. The tornado happened like a week or 2 before the concert and the concert was transformed into a tornado relief concert so that the money would go to helping the families/ communities that were impacted. Anyways Corey decided within that 2 weeks that he would join the venue and do some solo stuff. He sang SNUFF and people who hadn't ever heard him or the song got super emotional. The whole place was nearly in tears. No matter what song he plays he throws so much emotion in each and every last one of them but this song has always been my number 1. I'm sure you'll never see this but thanks coming out Corey!!! You helped a lot of people keep their shit together after that tragedy!
