Slipknot rocker Shawn Crahan has tapped his teenage son to serve as his replacement once he retires from the masked band.

The 42-year-old drummer, who is the eldest member of the group, has been thinking about hanging up his mask for several months and the Grammy winner hopes 18-year-old Gage will carry on his legacy.

During an interview with The Pulse of Radio, he says, "My oldest boy, when I do skip (quit), he's gonna take over my slot. He was sitting on the stair in diapers... with (drum) sticks while we were downstairs trying to learn how to be a band.

"So when I leave, it won't b...

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor had to be carried off stage at a concert in Texas on Tuesday night after passing out during the final song.

The rocker was performing with the band in Dallas, Texas as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour and he gave fans a fright during the finale when he suddenly fell to the floor.

Footage filmed at the gig shows crewmembers rushing onto the stage to tend to Taylor, who had fallen unconscious, before picking him up and carrying him backstage.

Taylor later addressed his health crisis in a post on Twitter.com, assuring fans he was just ...

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor covered up scar tissue with tattoos after his crazy bandmates lit him up on stage.

The masked singer admits he was scarred by prankster bandmate's Sid Wilson and Chris Fehn's attempt to set him on fire onstage at concerts.

"They were lighting my legs on fire every night. They would always start with the bottom of my f**kin' overalls... I'd feel them gathering around me and squirting me down with lighter fluid and then, whoosh!" he told Revolver magazine.

"Next thing I know, I'm rolling to keep it (flames) from getting up to my face. I've got some weird, gna...

Heavy rockers Slipknot are launching their own two-date festival this summer. The masked band will headline the Knotfest event in its native Iowa on August 17th and take the show to Somerset, on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, on August 18th.

The group will be joined on the bill by the Deftones, System of a Down's Serj Tankian and Lamb of God, among others.

Drummer Shawn Crahan, known as Clown, tells RollingStone.com, "It's all about having fun and bringing something to the world of rock & roll, bringing it to the standard it used to be."

"It's time for us to really engulf thi...

Heavy rockers Slipknot's DJ has revealed the band will return to the studio early next year to record their first album since the death of bassist Paul Gray.

Several band members feared there would be no future for the masked group following Gray's 2010 death, but festival dates last year brought the act back together and now Sid Wilson has announced there are plans to record a follow-up to 2008's All Hope Is Gone next year.

Wilson tells NME.com that the bandmates will reconvene once frontman Corey Taylor completes his touring schedule with side project Stone Sour.

He says, "We've got Ma...

Johnny Depp was a surprise performer at the Golden Gods Awards show on Wednesday night as he took to the stage with Marilyn Manson.

The Revolver magazine prize giving took place at the Club Nokia venue in Los Angeles and featured a closing set by Manson, who performed with Pretty Reckless singer Taylor Momsen before introducing Depp to the stage.

The actor, who began his career in music before turning to Hollywood, thrilled the crowd by playing guitar with Manson on his cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" and hit track "The Beautiful People."

During the show, Motley Crue star N...

Marilyn Manson has scared off competition from Lady Gaga, Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper to be named the world's most frightening musician in a Halloween-themed online poll.

The shock rocker's creepy videos, gravelly voice and bondage-style outfits spooked editors at Billboard.com so much they placed him at number one in a countdown of scary stars.

They state, "Congratulations Marilyn Manson! If there were a musical human embodiment of the word 'nightmare,' it would be you."

Manson saw off competition from Lady Gaga, whose bloody performance at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards landed h...

Courtney Love has axed Hole's slot at Australia's upcoming Soundwave music festival after she was left infuriated when promoters booked Limp Bizkit and placed the rockers above them in the line-up.

Hole were due to perform alongside Slipknot, System Of A Down and You Me At Six at the event next year, but after finding out their place on the bill, Love cancelled the show.

According to NME.com, Love sent a message to festival promoter A.J. Maddah, writing, "What bl**dy flight of crazed fancy made you think we'd open for Limp Bizkit dude? No offense, that's nuts."

However, Maddah hit bac...

The members of rock supergroup Velvet Revolver have inched closer to finding a replacement for Scott Weiland after Slash and Duff McKagan were left impressed by a potential frontman at a recent charity show.

The two stars and their former Guns N' Roses bandmate Matt Sorum recently jammed with the unnamed singer during a trip to New York and now bassist McKagan is keen to work with him again.

He says, "There was a singer there we might write some songs with."

Rock website Blabbermouth.net reports the mystery man is Ours frontman Jimmy Gnecco, who performed three tracks with McKagan and Sl...

Slipknot drummer Shawn Crahan is calling on the band's fans to help him fill a new scrapbook project.

The star is keen to compile drawings, photos and poems from the band's followers and bind the pieces into a special book called The Maggot Bible - a reference to the group's nickname for fans.

Posting a link to new website MaggotBible.com on his Facebook page, he explains, "What I would like to create with you is a book that can bring these ideas together in a tangible way and at the same time, artistic form.

"It will be something we can hold and carry around with us and use as a referen...

Slipknot are eyeing a U.S. tour next year after a series of comeback shows in Europe left them feeling more "positive" about the future of the band following the death of bassist Paul Gray.

The rockers recently played dates in the U.K. and across mainland Europe as part of the Sonisphere travelling festival, marking their return to the stage following the tragedy last year.

They had previously thrown the group's future into doubt by warning fans they might never record a new album - but frontman Corey Taylor has now confirmed they have held talks about a U.S. tour next year following the...

Rockers Slipknot will share their upcoming set at Britain's Sonisphere festival with fans all over the world by streaming the gig over the internet.

The band will take to the stage at the rock event at England's Knebworth House on Sunday and the gig will mark the band's first U.K. show since the death of bassist Paul Gray last year.

They have asked fans to observe a two-minute silence prior to their set in memory of the late rocker, and they have now revealed they will be streaming their performance live on the internet so fans across the globe can see the show.

A statement from the b...

Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden will be the frontrunners at this year's third annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards after picking up multiple nominations on Thursday.

Ozzy will battle Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson for Best Vocalist, while the Prince of Darkness' guitarist and drummer will battle Maiden's men for the night's best player prizes.

Rob Zombie also picks up multiple nods - his touring guitarist is up for Best Guitarist and drummer Joey Jordison will compete with Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy Osbourne), Abe Cunningham (Deftones), Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour), Nico McBrain (Iron Maiden) and Avenge...

Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison has promised fans an unforgettable set when they perform their comeback shows at the Sonisphere festivals in Europe this summer - the concerts will be an "exorcism" in honor of late bass player Paul Gray.

The rockers have not performed since Gray died from an overdose in an Iowa hotel room last May, and only now are they preparing to start rehearsals for a series of gigs at the travelling festival in June and July.

Jordison, who was pals with Gray from childhood, admits it will be tough walking out on stage without his bandmate - but he has vowed to honor G...

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has revealed his secret shame - he lost his virginity to a babysitter at the age of 11.

The rocker has confessed he became sexually active long before the legal age of consent of 16 in his native Iowa, and admits his first partner was "f**ed up" for wanting to sleep with a young boy.

And Taylor felt so ashamed after the experience that he avoided sex for two years.

He tells Kerrang! magazine, "I am so f**king ashamed to say that I lost my virginity when I was 11 years old... It was with a very f**ked up and very giving babysitter, let's put it that way!

"I...

Fortunately, 2010 wasn't a big one for celebrity deaths. In 2009, several notables died, including Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze and Farrah Fawcett.

May was a particularly bad month, in which stars such as Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper passed away.

Casey Johnson, Johnson & Johnson heiress and fiancee of reality star Tila Tequila, died January 4 from diabetic ketoacidosis.

"All My Children" patriarch James Mitchell died on January 22, weeks shy of his 90th birthday. The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated by pneumonia.

"Poltergeist" star Zelda Rubenstein di...

Slipknot star Paul Gray died from an accidental overdose of morphine, according to newly-released toxicology and final autopsy reports.

The rocker, 38, was found dead in a suburban Des Moines, Iowa hotel on May 24.

Officials at the Polk County Medical Examiner's Office also noted the presence of significant heart disease in their report.

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray's death has been linked to drugs - the hotel employee who discovered the rocker's body found a hypodermic needle in the room.

Gray was found dead in a suburban Des Moines, Iowa hotel room on Monday.

Police investigating the case have ruled out foul play and officials are awaiting the results of toxicology tests after an autopsy failed to determine the cause of death.

But, the call a maintenance man identified as Mike made to emergency services after discovering Gray's body raises questions about a needle and a bottle of pills left by the rocker's bed.

In the t...

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was found dead in an Iowa hotel room this morning. He was 38.

The musician's body was discovered by a hotel employee at the TownePlace Suites hotel in Urbandale.

Police were called to the scene and later reported there was no evidence of foul play; but are continuing to investigate the death. An autopsy to help determine the cause has been scheduled for Tuesday, when toxicology tests will also be carried out.

Gray co-founded the mask-wearing heavy rockers in 1995.

He is survived by his wife, Brenna, who is expecting the pair's first child later this year.

Ann...

Travis Barker has added to the star-studded line-up for his first solo album - Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor has signed on to lend his voice to the project.

The Blink 182 drummer has already lined up guest appearances from hip-hop hit-makers Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz for the highly-anticipated record.

And now he's infusing heavy metal vocals to the record - with Taylor's help.

Barker tells Spinner, "I'm rounding it out right now. I just love music. The more I can be around it the better, so with my album it's no one genre. It goes from everything from punk rock to hip-hop to so...

Lady Gaga has been voted the creepiest singer in showbiz for her provocative Paparazzi video.

The promo sees the eccentric star sitting in a wheelchair, declaring she has killed her boyfriend. GaGa even appeared to hang herself during her performance of the track at this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

The singer's crazy stunts have spooked music fans, who have named her the weirdest musician in the charts.

Michael Jackson's 1984 Thriller video, which features dancing zombies, and Slipknot's Wait and Bleed both featured in the ghostly rundown by music video website Muzu.tv.

N...

Happy Haunted MusicWeen! October brings joy to those with a taste for the macabre. Themes embraced this time of year are horror, fear, death, and terror. What better way to celebrate the festivities than with our own selection haunted music videos for ghoulish enjoyment. Rate these music videos, and let us know if they rattle your bones to the core!

Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy Aphex Twin wants you to "Come To Daddy." Needless to say, no wants to be a part of this horror fest.

Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People "The beautiful people, the beautiful people," in this monta...

Gnarls Barkley star Cee-Lo Green's former group, Goodie Mob, has added a second reunion show at Cypress Hill's upcoming Smokeout festival return in California. The hip-hop act and Geto Boys will both reform for the event, which was last held in 2003.

The two-day festival at the San Manuel Amphitheater at the end of October will be hosted by stoner icons Cheech & Chong and feature Slipknot, the Deftones and Sublime.

Rappers Cypress Hill launched Smokeout in 1998 to create awareness around cannabis counter-culture.

The band's B Real says, "This will be our best Smokeout ever. Slipkno...

"There was one kid in Australia who made us all sign his face which we went along with, but he showed up a couple of days later and he got them tattooed on. I tried to tell him that he'd cut his job opportunities in half but he didn't care... One guy in Grand Rapids, Michigan wanted us to sign his a--hole! Not the cheeks, but the inside of his a--." Slipknot's Corey Taylor gets some disturbing autograph requests from fans.

See more slipknot photos here!

Image © PR Photos

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has slammed suggestions the band's music encourages children to self harm.

The controversial group has previously come under fire over the dark imagery in some of their song lyrics, but Taylor insists the tracks do not influence impressionable youngsters. And he understands why angst-ridden teenagers feel depressed - he suffered the same problems in his youth.

Taylor says, "If you're setting out to hurt yourself, it's not the music that's causing it. There's something else wrong. We get a lot of kids that cut themselves but I go out of my way to tr...

Coheed and Cambria, the progressive rock outfit who are recording their fifth album, are also spreading their wings by playing to new audiences in 2009 creating more visibility in the metal world, as well as the jam and indie circles more than ever.

The band is also getting ready to set out on a 14-date tour with Heaven & Hell (the Ronnie James Dio version of Black Sabbath) in August.

Earlier this year, Coheed and Cambria supported the heavy metal juggernaut, Slipknot, and now mix that with varied festivals such as Mountain Jam, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits. It'...

Rockers Slipknot have been dragged into a murder trial, that commenced last Thursday, after prosecutors discovered the band's "Disasterpiece" was used to fire up a California woman before she agreed to help her boyfriend stab a pal to death.

Amber Rose Riley is accused of helping Jason Harris kill 22-year-old Terry Taylor in 2003.

Jurors in San Bernardino Superior Court heard Taylor was stabbed more than 20 times, and his neck was slashed in the brutal attack, orchestrated by Harris, who was sentenced to serve 50 years to life behind bars in August.

Deputy District Attorney ...

The organizers of Record Store Day have been happily overwhelmed by a steady flurry of support and activity from artists, record labels and retailers wishing to participate in the annual event in salutation of the independent music store. This year Record Store Day is set to feature a number of exciting new products made especially for the event from such well-known artists as Radiohead, Wilco, Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams and the Flight of the Conchords, just to name a few.

Wilco plan to release their upcoming DVD as an exclusive release to indie stores and on the band's website on...

(The Learning Curve) There's literally something for everyone's palette. This week is a journey. Hit the dance floor with SS Nova and Blaqk Audio, whip out the air guitar with Lynam, jump in the mosh pit with Demon Hunter and then start singing along with New Years Day.

This week you might see some familiar faces in some of these bands, but still, they are worth a listen. The members that formed these bands sound little or nothing like their old calling cards, so make sure you take the time to listen.

Enjoy my friends.

1.) SS Nova - Rock/Electronic

Hail from: Orange County...

Heavy rockers Slipknot's concert in their home state of Iowa on Sunday was marred by tragedy when a fan died after suffering a heart attack. Cory Nickels, 29, suffered a cardiac arrest shortly after alerting emergency service officials to the fact he was feeling unwell.

The fan was transported by ambulance to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police have launched an investigation into the matter. Autopsy results have yet to be released.

Click the pics for gallery & larger images

(This news article provided by World E...