"I’ve been a Steve Vai fan since I was 15, and never thought I’d ever get the chance to do something amazing with him": Slipknot's Corey Taylor collaborates with his hero Steve Vai on new Billy Morrison track
Incite The Watch is lifted from The Morrison Project, which sees the Slipknot vocalist fulfil a lifelong dream of working with the virtuoso
(Image credit: Carlos Castro/Europa Press / Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor has fulfilled a lifelong musical dream by collaborating with Steve Vai on a new Billy Morrison track.
Incite the Watch is the latest single to be highlighted from the already-released The Morrison Project. For this particular track, Morrison is joined by both the Slipknot vocalist and the electric guitar virtuoso.
Perhaps unknowingly, when Morrison put his two collaborators on a track together he was actually helping Taylor realize a long-held dream to work with Vai, who he’s been a fan of since he was a teenager.
“Billy and I have known each other for so many years and we’ve done many performances together, it was only a matter of time before we put together something original and fascinating,” Taylor explains.
“Alternatively, I’ve been a Steve Vai fan since I was 15, and never thought I’d ever get the chance to do something amazing with him. I’m so stoked to be a part of this album with so many great artists and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
It’s certainly a pairing that wasn’t on our bingo card for 2024, and while it’s not quite the same as having a Slipknot track supercharged with some virtuosic Vai shredding, it’s perhaps the closest we’ll get to the real thing.
Billy Morrison, Corey Taylor, Steve Vai - Incite The Watch (Official) - YouTube
To that end, the industrial track itself is carried by a pulsating main riff, which accommodates both Taylor’s vocals and not one, two Vai lead efforts – the second of which helps close out Incite the Watch with some furious fretboard trickery.
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The accompanying video is worth a mention as well. How often do you get to see an animated Steve Vai use his Ibanez PIA – and his soloing – as a weapon to incinerate alien bank robbers and save the day?
“Billy Morrison is always getting into some kind of intense and creative musical mischief, and this record is the evidence of that,” says Vai of his own contributions. “When he sent me the track I was very eager to contribute to it.
“It is slamming and crushing, and the energy of the track is palpable. It’s nice to be part of his mischief.”
The Morrison Project was released back in April and features an assortment of guest stars, including Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Stevens – who feature on Crack Cocaine – Billy Idol and Steve Stevens – who can be heard on Mr. Dream.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
