Nearly four years have passed since the release of Slipknot's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses." But members of the masked metal act have little doubt that its as-yet-untitled fourth studio effort, tentatively due Aug. 12 via Roadrunner Records, will appease its loyal fans, the Maggots.

"It's going to rip your face off," Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor tells Billboard.com with confidence. "I don't think the world will be ready for this album."

Declining to give an album title or song names, Taylor describes Slipknot's forthcoming set -- which is being recorded in the band's home state of Iowa -- as a "very dark" cross between "Vol. 3" and 2001's "Iowa." "It has so much power in it and yet there are so many great spots for melody," he explains. "It's a controlled chaos that hits you right out of the gate."

Lyrically, "Instead of bitching about what went wrong in my life, I'm bitching about what's wrong in life, period," Taylor says, noting that his vocals are much more melodic than before. "I got to the point where I was tired of pretending that I couldn't sing every time I made a Slipknot album, so this time I'm going all out."

After finishing its 2005 tour in support of "Vol. 3" -- which has moved 1.4 million units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- some of Slipknot's nine members took a break from the band to focus on other musical projects. Taylor, who also fronts rock act Stone Sour, spent the next two-and-a-half years promoting the band's 2006 sophomore release, "Come What(ever) May."

"But the whole time we were doing the Stone Sour album, I was writing and figuring stuff out for the Slipknot album," Taylor recalls. "So when it came time to work this, I already had notebooks full of stuff and my own musical ideas."

Although Stone Sour is currently on hiatus while Taylor focuses on Slipknot, new material is currently being written for the band's next studio album, according to Taylor.

Meanwhile, Slipknot's time apart has given the act a new sense of musical confidence and maturity, Taylor observes. "I think we're all in way better places now," he says. "We're not afraid to speak up and say what we like and don't like. With that kind of confidence and maturity, you really get to explore different stuff."

Along with its new album, Slipknot will appear in "evolved" masks and uniforms, which Taylor describes as "not just a costume -- it's a way of life." The vocalist declined to give specifics, but says the freshened outfits are "very dark and will fit in everything image-wise that we're making with this album."

As previously reported, Slipknot will co-headline this summer's 30-date Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem tour, which begins July 9 at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Wash. For its daily set, the metal outfit will keep it "bare bones," Taylor says. "We'll definitely have some stuff with us, but it's all going to be building toward the concept of the new album dropping."

After its time on Mayhem ends in late August, Slipknot will likely take a month off before heading to Europe for a fall tour. "Then at the beginning of the year it's all headline from there," Taylor notes. "We'll probably do about a year of touring."

As for recording future Slipknot material, "We really want to do this album and then play it by ear," Taylor says. "It's a band that deserves every little bit of intensity that you have. If it gets to the point where you're not feeling it anymore, then you're just not feeling it anymore."

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor hit the stage with the '80s metal/hard rock tribute band STEEL PANTHER (a.k.a. METAL SKOOL) last night (Monday, May 12) at the Key Club in West Hollywood, Calfornia. Taylor performed JUDAS PRIEST's "You've Got Another Thing Coming" and POISON's "Nothing But A Good Time" alongside the popular, stalwart cover band and ANTHRAX axeman Scott Ian.

A two-minute "teaser video" for SLIPKNOT's forthcoming album has been released and can be viewed below. SLIPKNOT went on hiatus at the end of 2005, when it finished touring in support of "Vol. 3". Since then the band members have worked on various other projects, including a second album from singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root's STONE SOUR.

Hard rock enigma SlipKnoT has posted the 6th teaser photograph from a recent photo shoot on the splash page of its web site. Check out this teaser picture here:

We've updated our M-L Gallery with photos from the recording of new SlipKnoT CD.

Check out three brand new Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival wallpapers:

Hard rock enigma SlipKnoT has posted the 5th teaser photograph from a recent photo shoot on the splash page of its web site. Check out this teaser picture here:

Bob Suehs of Rock N Roll Experience recently conducted an interview with FEAR FACTORY/ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS frontman and current MINISTRY touring singer Burton C. Bell. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Rock N Roll Experience: Is this really MINISTRY's last tour?

Burton Bell: Yup!

Rock N Roll Experience: Not even a one-off show here or there?

Burton: No dude, he's (Al Jourgensen) done, he's done, and some fans have just got to let it go. Nothing lasts forever, but think of it as a new beginning for Al. MINISTRY is ending, but Al is doing some new stuff. He's talking about finishing off LARD with one more LARD record and finishing up PAILHEAD with one more PAILHEAD record, but he's gonna do soundtracks, working with his label, so he's still gonna be doing music, but MINISTRY is done and he's done. He's been doing it for almost 30 years...

Rock N Roll Experience: But Ozzy Osbourne said that too!

Burton: Al has more conviction than Ozzy.

Rock N Roll Experience: You don't think Al will get the urge to get back onstage again?

Burton: Nope...I sincerely believe that he is talking from his heart when he says that he is done. I say more power to it.

Rock N Roll Experience: As a MINISTRY fan though, aren't you a little bummed?

Burton: No, because I'm still working with him. (laughs) You know, some things must end. Sorry, Ozzy, he's writing shitty music. (laughs)

Rock N Roll Experience: But it's all about Zakk Wylde when it comes to Ozzy music for me.

Burton: I'm sorry... it sucks! That last song I heard from Ozzy just blew!

Rock N Roll Experience: You didn't like "I Don't Wanna Stop" from Ozzy?

Burton: Nahhhhh. Come on, dude!

Rock N Roll Experience: I liked what Zakk Wylde did on that song.

Burton: I don't know... I think it was just weak (laughs), but that's just my opinion and my opinion doesn't really mean anything.

Rock N Roll Experience: So what is going on with FEAR FACTORY?

Burton: Nothing.

Rock N Roll Experience: Is FEAR FACTORY over with?

Burton: We're taking some time off to figure some shit out. I ve been doing FEAR FACTORY for 17 years and I need to do something different for a while and everything comes to an end at some point.

Rock N Roll Experience: You were speaking recently with Dino [Cazares, former FEAR FACTORY guitarist]. Is there any chance you'll play with him again?

Burton: Dino and I were friends way before FEAR FACTORY, so he came to the L.A. [MINISTRY] show because Tony [Campos] is in ASESINO [with Dino], so they are friends and he showed up backstage and there he was and I said, "Hey," and it was like two old friends but I'm not talking any business with him. It felt good; it was cool.

Rock N Roll Experience: Did you see the last MINISTRY tour with Joey Jordison [SLIPKNOT] on drums?

Burton: Yeah, that was OK. He's (Joey Jordison) an OK drummer.

Rock N Roll Experience: Come on, Joey Jordison was good!

Burton: He's sloppy! Aaron [Rossi, current MINISTRY touring drummer] is way better! He's (Joey) good for SLIPKNOT, you know, but...I think Aaron is way better, he's tighter, he's more consistent.

Rock N Roll Experience: Have you ever met any rockstars who were a**holes?

Burton: A LOT! (laughs) Honestly, Chino [Moreno] from the DEFTONES. I remember, we toured with the DEFTONES and that guy never talked… I tried to go talking to that guy and he never talked to me, I even went up to him backstage after one of his shows in L.A. and I just tried to talk to him and he was like [does a shrugged off impression].

Rock N Roll Experience: It was probably drugs.

Burton: Or he's just a dick! But, he was always a dick to me... I'm probably talking way too much. Can I say this? I'm gonna erase this (points to mini-disc recorder) right now. (laughs)

Rock N Roll Experience: If you don't want me to use any of this interview, I won't...let me know

Burton: Well, I'm not lying, so... I'm telling the truth, so if he (Chino) tries to deny it, I'm like, well, "Fuck you." I'll never see him again anyway! I've met a lot of cool people on this current tour...I got to meet some of my heroes like Jello Biafra, got to meet Ogre, got to meet Billy Gibbons.