SINCE they last visited Glasgow in 2008 it's been a traumatic few years for masked metallers Slipknot.

Bassist Paul Gray tragically passed away in 2010, and drummer Jody Jordison then left the group in 2013 under a cloud.

Gray's passing created a huge emotional wound and it's understandable why the band's frontman Corey Taylor believes it's taken time for them to "get back on the horse."

"It's been tough, people don't realise how hard it hits you on every level," he says, ahead of the group's visit to play the SSE Hydro tomorrow.

"It's akin to losing a brother, a father, it's losing a member of the family.

"It reverberates about the whole of the band, how you approach music creatively and even now, with the success we've had with the Gray Chapter and coming over here, there's a bittersweet taste to it.

"It's great how the album's going, but we still don't have Paul, and that's hard.

"What helped us get through it was that we still love doing it, Paul would have wanted us to keep going and he'd have loved what we're doing now."

Last year's, "5: The Grey Chapter," was dedicated to the bassist, who passed away after overdosing on morphine and fantanyl.

The record featured some of the most punishing and abrasive songs the band recorded in years, harking back to the earlier records like Iowa and their self-titled second album.

Iowa's masked men have been creating their own brand of havoc for 20 years now, but Corey knew that making The Gray Chapter, their first album in six years, would be rough at times.

"As soon as we set our minds to making the album, we knew we'd be making some heavy material," he says.

"We've never shied away from being as honest and as wide open as possible, and it was hard to do that at times.

"But doing that is why the album sounds as alive as it does, and as exposed as it does.

"That was the story we wanted to tell, and show people how a band helps each other stand back up."

Now the singer, who also plays in the rock band Stone Sour, is relishing being back on the road.

Famed for chaotic live shows, he's enthused about returning to Glasgow.

"Glasgow's always been one of my favourite cities, and not just to play, but to hang out," says the chatty front man.

"The kids and the people there are so great, and we've always had a good time. I remember we played, I think it was the SECC, on my birthday about six years ago, and there was us and Machinehead, and the crowd was fantastic.

"Whether it's an arena or somewhere smaller, we've always been really accepted there."

He does, however, dismiss internet reports that they'll soon be back in the studio, saying they were taken out of context and that a swift recording return was only talked about, never a concrete plan.

It might be hard for them to find the time to head back in so soon.

As well as Slipknot and Stone Sour, Corey's been doing some acting, including a part in the upcoming horror film Fear Clinic, alongside A Nightmare On Elm Street's Robert Englund.

"Robert Englund's one of the coolest dudes on the planet," says Corey.

"I had so many fanboy moments, and not just with him, but the whole cast.

"We'd be in the makeup trailer and I'd just listen to him tell stories and get his character together, and the make-up lady was telling me to stop smiling so much listening to him. But it's Freddy Krugger, that's so rad!"

Like many a horror film, Slipknot have found themselves the focus of a few whipped-up media panics over the year, being accused of corrupting teenagers and encouraging violence.

It's therefore no surprise Corey's a strong advocate of free speech, arguing for it strongly on Twitter just after Christmas.

His words then took on a even more sombre twist given recent events in Paris.

"I wrote those Tweets to band together people who did believe in what I was saying, because nine times out of 10 you only hear the ugly side," he explains.

"Look at Paris, where all these blowhards came out the woodwork condemning Muslims in general. It was ridiculous.

"Why wasn't anyone saying this isn't Muslims across the world, these are fanatics who are doing terrible things.

"Finally, that started to come out, and seeing what happened at the weekend where people were coming together to show solidarity.

"That's the correct reaction, showing terrorists that they don't get to win, and that it's not going to tear us apart."

Slipknot, Sunday, SSE Hydro, £39.50, 6.30pm