Jim Root Says He and Corey Taylor “Would Have Just Ended Up Killing Each Other” if He Hadn’t Left Stone Sour

When Jim Root and Stone Sour parted ways in 2014, Root said he wasn’t into the more poppy direction the band was headed and that one member was “only concerned about money.” While losing Root seemed like a blow at the time, Stone Sour seem to be doing just fine without him.

Fast forward five years, and Root — also of Slipknot, of course — is accepting much more responsibility for his role in the split. Speaking to Metal Hammer, Root explained that he’s in a much better place now than he was then, and that both bands are also better off after the split:

“Corey [Taylor] and I are much closer now. It’s the best thing, me leaving Stone Sour. We would have just ended up killing each other and driving each other crazy. I can’t spread myself that thin.

“I needed it, this band needed it and Stone Sour certainly needed it. I just didn’t have the time to commit that I’d have liked. I think they were tired of my shitty attitude, that’s for sure.”

While we may never know what Root means by his own “shitty attitude,” this much is clear: being in two bands that tour and make music on the level Slipknot and Stone Sour do had to be thoroughly exhausting. I have no idea how Corey Taylor does it, but that nonstop lifestyle certainly isn’t for everyone. Perhaps Root’s shitty attitude was a result of burnout from that.

Root is on tour with Slipknot now; dates here! New album We Are Not Your Kind comes out this Friday, August 9th.