While some musicians still like to argue that "rock is dead," plenty others are aware that heavy music is alive and well. Corey Taylor is part of the latter group, and in a new interview, has named the three new rock and metal bands he thinks are "carrying the flag for heavy music."

Though Slipknot just put out their seventh album a few months ago, Taylor already has his eyes on a September release for his second solo album, CMFT2. The singer told NME that it has elements of Slipknot and Stone Sour, and draws inspiration from the various decades of music that have influenced him, including '70s punk, grunge and even Guns N' Roses.

But, ahem, "What does Corey Taylor think" about the current state of rock and metal, and which bands are exciting him the most?

"Turnstile are fucking amazing. Sleep Token are really starting to do something for me, and Bad Omens are great. There’s a whole new generation of bands that are starting to come up that are carrying the flag for heavy music," the rocker enthused.

Turnstile were nominated in three different categories at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Bad Omens have been selling out shows as a result of going viral on TikTok and Sleep Token have absolutely skyrocketed in popularity since the beginning of the year, so it's clear that Taylor is paying attention to what other people are actually listening to.

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However, aside from those three groups and some others, he thinks a lot of new rock and metal is "so soft."

“It’s the exact opposite of what we had before, where people didn’t want to call themselves ‘rock.’ Now, people call themselves rock when it’s actually way more alternative. When are these artists going to take the gloves off? Stop holding back and just fucking go for it. Everything sounds the same," he elaborated.

"There’s no reason to make music if you can’t fucking feel it. There has to be a heartbeat to it or it’s just another commercial that you’re trying to get through to get to the next show. With this album, I’m walking in like Hiroshima and I don’t give a fuck what anybody says.”

The first single from CMFT2 is titled "Beyond" and is expected to come out sometime in May. Taylor said it's "going to blow people the fuck away," so stay tuned for more information about its release over the next few months. Until then, he has a handful of 2023 tour dates scheduled so far, which you can check out on his website.

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