Slipknot

"Reined in" are words that probably haven't been used to describe music by Slipknot, the costume-clad kings of noise. Lead singer Corey Taylor chuckles after he catches himself using that phrase in reference to Slipknot's forthcoming album, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses.

"The album is a really good amalgam of all the things that were great on the first two albums and all these different directions that we always wanted to go. It's a very eclectic yet reined in album," says Taylor, who also goes by the name No. 8.

"It's almost a dichotomy at times, where it's brutal yet it's melodic. It's heavy and thrash, but it's rock and it's all these great, beautiful flavors that nobody tries to do anymore. So many bands just basically write one song and create a whole album around it."

But aside from developments in the group's sound, Slipknot's infamous costumes -- which range from masks of farm animals to bloody carnival clowns -- have also been "streamlined" for this tour. Taylor doesn't want to go into details; he wants to preserve the element of surprise for Slipknot fans, known pleasantly as "Maggots." So, between a "reined in" album and "streamlined" show, could "mainstream" be next?