THE BEAST

Corey Taylor has fired back at Chad Kroeger, calling the NICKELBACK frontman "an idiot" who's "got a face like a foot."

Kroeger slammed STONE SOUR in a recent interview, calling the Taylor-fronted group "NICKELBACK Lite" and challenging Corey to "write a hit song." Speaking with Sweden's Metal Covenant, Kroeger started out by telling the site: "I can't think of another band that's as diverse as we are. I can't. And I don't think that's me talking from pride or ego. I mean, you're sitting across the table. You know what you're talking about."

When STONE SOUR was cited as an example of a musically diverse act, Kroeger shot back: "Yeah, 'cause they're trying to be NICKELBACK. Corey Taylor has said some really nasty things about me before in the press. He talks about how easy it is to write a hit song. Well, show me. Show me. Write one. I have yet to hear one. They're okay. But they're not as good as NICKELBACK. They sound like 'NICKELBACK Lite.'"

Kroeger went on to point out that NICKELBACK and Taylor's other band, SLIPKNOT, launched their respective careers while signed to the same label (Roadrunner). He added: "They had to put on masks and jump around. How good can your music be if you've gotta beat each other up on stage, throw up in your own masks every night…? I mean, music shouldn't come with a gimmick; music should just be music. None of my favorite music comes with a gimmick. And he got tired of sitting behind a mask — he wanted people to know what he looks like — so he started STONE SOUR."

During yesterday's (Monday, June 19) in-studio appearance on the Arizona radio station KUPD, Corey addressed Kroeger's comments, beginning with the NICKELBACK singer's claim that Taylor once said composing a hit song didn't require much effort.

"You know what? I've never said it was easy to write a hit song," Corey said. "I don't know what the hell planet he's living on. Apparently it's Planet Kroeger, and there must be good weed there, 'cause he's an idiot."

Taylor added that he was "so cued up to say some stuff" about Chad but then he "just started reading all the comments online" in response to Kroeger's words about STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT. "I don't have to say a damn thing — he is not a liked person," Corey said. "That's all we have to say about it."

Taylor also took issue with Chad's statement that SLIPKNOT "had to put on masks and jump around" as a gimmick to sell records and concert tickets. Directing his comments at Kroeger, Corey said: "You can run your mouth all you want. All I know is I've been voted 'Sexiest Dude In Rock' wearing a mask. You've been voted 'Ugliest Dude In Rock' twice without one. Stick that up your ass."

The STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT singer stressed that he has no issues with any of the other members of NICKELBACK. "I love Mike [Kroeger, NICKELBACK bassist and Chad's brother], I love… Everybody else in that band I'm very, very cool with; I've hung out with them. It's just 'Face Like A Foot' who I can't really hang out with. He's got a face like a foot. Am I wrong?"

He added: "See, that's the hard thing: I can't even say anything about the band, NICKELBACK, because none of 'em have an issue with us. It's him. So, dude, curl up in bed with your Hello Kitty pillow and shut up."

Taylor also repeated some of the comments he made a decade and a half ago when he seemed to suggest in an interview that Roadrunner was spending more time and resources promoting NICKELBACK than they were getting behind SLIPKNOT. "Let's just say Roadrunner took all the SLIPKNOT money and gave it to NICKELBACK to sign them," Corey told KUPD. "That's all I'm gonna say about it."

During yesterday's chat, Taylor's STONE SOUR bandmate Josh Rand revealed that NICKELBACK actually asked STONE SOUR "a couple of months ago" to support them on their Canadian tour, an offer that "we declined," the guitarist said. Taylor added: "We did not acquiesce to the request. [Laughs]"

NICKELBACK's ninth album, "Feed The Machine", came out on Friday, June 16 via BMG.

STONE SOUR's new full-length effort, "Hydrograd", will be released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records.