Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1995.

For the
greater part of their tenure the band consisted of nine members; however, the death of bassist
Paul Gray on May 24, 2010 left the band with only eight remaining members—Sid Wilson, Joey
Jordison, Chris Fehn, Jim Root, Craig Jones, Shawn "Clown" Crahan, Mick Thomson, and
Corey Taylor—each of whom is known for wearing their own grotesque mask.

Slipknot formed in 1995 and underwent several line-up changes following the independent
release of their first demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. in 1996. That album featured original lead
vocalist, Anders Colsefini. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1999, featuring
permanent new lead vocalist, Corey Taylor, and was followed by Iowa in 2001 and Vol. 3: (The
Subliminal Verses) in 2004. On August 25, 2008, the band returned to release their fourth studio
album, All Hope Is Gone, which debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 charts. The band
has released three DVDs, including Disasterpieces, which was certified quadruple-platinum in
the United States. The band has sold over 14 million records worldwide.

Formation and early years (1995 – 1998)

Early formations of a band were beginning to coalesce as early as 1992, when the core band
members, percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan, vocalist Anders Colsefini, and bassist Paul
Gray enlisted the help of guitarists Donnie Steele and Quan Nong, and created Painface.

In September 1995, the band "The Pale Ones" was created comprising Crahan on drums, Gray
on bass, Colsefini on vocals, and guitarist Steele. Joey Jordison joined the band shortly after,
taking up the role of drummer and, subsequently, Crahan moved to percussion. The band
continued to develop their vision of what the band would be, deciding to add a second guitarist,
recruiting Josh Brainard and moving Colsefini to percussion along with lead vocals. The band
played their first live performance under the name of Meld on December 4, 1995 at a club called
Crowbar in Des Moines. Soon after, Jordison suggested renaming the band "Slipknot" after their
song that eventually appeared on the band's demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. The band also began
experimenting with their image, wearing grotesque make-up and eventually the anti-image
concept developed towards the members wearing masks. Up until this point, the band had
remained mainly obscured due to their desire to wait until their music was fully developed.

With plenty of material ready, the band began recording in a local studio, SR Audio with Sean
McMahon. In February 1996, guitarist Donnie Steele left the band due to his Christian beliefs;
though the other band members were prepared to allow him to stay, Steele decided to leave. His
replacement, Craig Jones, arrived during the mixing stages of this new project. On April 4, 1996,
Slipknot played their first public performance at Des Moines reggae club the Safari, where they
played most of their early gigs. Their second gig at the Safari was alongside Stone Sour. The
band began to realize again that there was need for a change, as they were adding samples to
their recordings but could not produce these sounds live. Subsequently, Jones moved to full-time
sampler and Mick Thomson was brought in to fill the space on guitar. After conflict over the
mixing and mastering, the band self released their first album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on
Halloween, October 31, 1996.

With the production of this album, Sean McMahon began distributing it between record and
management companies, which resulted in airplay on local radio and, in turn, won a spot at
Dotfest. Slipknot had returned to the studio having developed new material, which demanded
more vocal melody. As a result, Corey Taylor was recruited from fellow Des Moines band Stone
Sour; this moved Colsefini to backing vocals and percussion. While experimenting with their
new vocalist, the band continued to do shows at the Safari club, during one of which Colsefini
surprised his band and fans alike announcing on stage that he was leaving the band. The gap on
percussion was filled by Greg Welts, who was affectionately known as "Cuddles". Towards the
end of 1997, the band was assigned individual numbers respectively and began wearing uniform
coveralls at their shows.

In early 1998, the band recorded their demo, which included "Spit It Out". The Slipknot Demo
was sent to many record labels and, along with a growing popularity on the Internet and help
from their then manager Sophia John, interest grew from record labels and eventually producer
Ross Robinson was contacted. The band, which had a strong interest in working with Robinson,
met with him and it was then decided they would work together. Soon after, DJ Sid Wilson was
brought in to the band after showing great interest and impressing band members. With the
acquisition of Ross Robinson, interest grew and the band began getting offers from record labels.
[20]
On July 6, 1998 Welts was asked to leave the band becoming the first (and only) band
member to be ultimately fired from the band.[21] Chris Fehn replaced Welts on percussion and on
July 8 they signed to Roadrunner Records.

Debut album and commercial success (1998–2001)

In late 1998, Slipknot entered the recording studio to work on their debut album.[24] In the early
new year, guitarist Brainard decided to leave the band due to personal reasons.[25] His
replacement, Jim Root, left the band with the line-up they retain.[23] Recording finished in early
1999, with "Me Inside" and "Purity",[26] and the band attended the Ozzfest which began in
March.[13] On June 29, 1999, the band released their eponymous album Slipknot.[27] Regarding the
album, Rick Anderson of Allmusic wrote "You thought Limp Bizkit was heavy? They're The
Osmonds. Slipknot is something else entirely."[27] The band performed in the Livin La Vida Loco
tour in support of Slipknot.[28]

Slipknot included variations of previously released songs, including "(sic)"; a version of the
previous song "Slipknot". These versions were faster than their previous recordings and this shift
in intensity was welcomed by old fans.[23] In the same year, Slipknot released their first home
video Welcome to Our Neighborhood (which was later released on DVD in 2003).[29] In early
2000, Slipknot was certified platinum, a first for an album released by Roadrunner Records.[30] In
July 2001, Q named Slipknot as one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time".[31]

Iowa and side projects (2001–2003)

Main article: Iowa (album)

After the success of their debut, Slipknot decided to enter the studio again for a second album.
By then, the band had created a huge fan base, and the expectations for their follow up album
were great. They went back into the studio in early 2001 to work on a new album.[32] Iowa, the
band's second album with Roadrunner Records, was released on August 28, 2001. Jason
Birchmeier of Allmusic said "It's really all you could ask for in a Slipknot album, and then
some",[33] and David Fricke of Rolling Stone called the album "the first great record of the nu
metal era."[34] It was also a commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard album
charts, and at number one on the UK album chart.[35] In mid-2001, the band once again toured
with Ozzfest,[13] and performed in the Kill The Industry tour in support of Iowa.[36] The band also
appeared in the concert scene of the 2002 movie Rollerball.[37] In the same year, while touring
Europe on their Iowa World Tour,[38] the BBC said that Slipknot stole the show and proved
entertaining after the band performed at Reading Festival in England.[39] After touring Europe,
the band performed at venues in Japan for the Japan Iowa Tour.[40] In the same year, Slipknot
released their second visual output with the release of their DVD Disasterpieces.[41]
2002 also saw the first serious musical projects for Slipknot members outside of the band. Lead
vocalist Taylor and guitarist Root revived their band Stone Sour with the release of their
eponymous debut album Stone Sour.[42] Drummer Jordison also had his own project in which he
took up the role of guitarist in the Murderdolls.[43] Slipknot planned to work on a third album
towards the end of 2002 but the band was experiencing problems.[44] At this time there was
rumours concerning whether the band had split and the possibility of a third album.[23] By mid-
2003 Crahan also had a new side project, To My Surprise, in which he worked with producer
Rick Rubin.[45]

Vol. 3, 9.0 Live, and side projects (2003–2007)

Main articles: Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) and 9.0: Live

"It was the rebirth of Slipknot, you know what I mean it was like... us coming back together,
pushing out the vibe that had gotten in there and kinda started pulling people away. But we
figured out that you know, we do have to get space you know, we do need to let people be
sometimes".

— Paul Gray on Slipknot's third album[46]

In late 2003, Slipknot began writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin,[47] who had
previously worked with artists such as Johnny Cash, System of a Down, and Slayer.[13][48]
Roadrunner Records also announced they would no longer be distributing Slipknot's albums in
Scandinavia, due to financial terms. However Slipknot managed to pen a deal with Nuclear Blast
Records in early 2003 for the releases in Scandinavia. The band released their third album, Vol.
3: (The Subliminal Verses) on May 24, 2004, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200.[49]
Johnny Loftus of Allmusic called the album "a satisfying, carefully crafted representation of [the
band's] career to date",[50] while Robert Cherry of Rolling Stone said the album "experiments
with even newer extremes, which in Slipknot's case means tunefulness and traditional song
structures."[51] The title of the album denotes that this is their third album, band members later
mentioned that they do not consider Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. as an album which reflects the
band.[52] In 2004, the band toured on the Ozzfest for a third time,[53] the same year they made their
first appearance at Download Festival[54] where Jordison replaced Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich
after he was rushed to hospital.[55] In 2005, Slipknot made live appearances without percussionist
Crahan—who was supporting his wife during an illness—including their return to Download
Festival.[56]

Slipknot in 2005 in Buenos Aires.

Slipknot released their first live album, 9.0: Live which included recordings from shows in
Phoenix, Las Vegas, Osaka, Singapore, and Tokyo. The album was released on November 1,
2005 and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200.[57] In 2006, the band won their first and only
Grammy for Best Metal Performance with "Before I Forget".[58] Later that year, Slipknot released
their third DVD Voliminal: Inside the Nine.[59]

Several members of the band collaborated with other artists on the Roadrunner United: The All-
Star Sessions CD released in October 2005. On the record, Jordison was named a "team captain".
[60]
Root, Taylor, and Gray also contributed to the album.[61] In 2006, Root and Taylor once again
returned with Stone Sour releasing their second album Come What(ever) May.[62] Jordison was
positioned as drummer in several bands while on tour including; Ministry (2006) and Korn
(2007).[63][64] He also produced 3 Inches of Blood's third album Fire Up the Blades which was
released in early 2007.[65] Later in the year Crahan revealed a new side project, Dirty Little
Rabbits.[66]

All Hope Is Gone (2008–2009)

Main article: All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot released their fourth studio album All Hope Is Gone on August 20, 2008. It is the first
Slipknot album to ever peak at number 1 on the Billboard 200.[67][68] The Album has gone on to
sell 825,000 copies in the U.S., been awarded a Gold certification, and has spawned 5 singles
with the third single Dead Memories charting at #1 on the Hot 100 Mainstream Rock tracks.
Preparation for the album started in October 2007 with recording pushed back to February 2008.
[69]
For this release the band expressed an interest in making it their heaviest album to date with
an expansion of the thrash metal riffing introduced on Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses).[70]
However, they also wanted to make it their most experimental record, and wished to include
more acoustic guitars and melodic vocals, as well as introducing hi-hats and cymbals to the
additional percussion.[71][72] The album was the band's first work with Dave Fortman as producer.
[73]
Along with the album, the band debuted "evolved" masks and uniforms, which matched the
style of the album.[74] Slipknot headlined the first ever Mayhem Festival festival in July and
August 2008.[75] The band was scheduled to play in the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August
2008, but was forced to cancel after drummer Joey Jordison broke his ankle.[76]

Slipknot at 2008's Mayhem Festival.

Slipknot also toured Australia, Japan, Europe and the United Kingdom in the latter months of
2008, with the bands Machine Head and Children of Bodom opening at their concerts.[77] The
UK dates were announced on August 20, for an early December tour.[78] Slipknot were also
forced to cancel their show in Israel, due to 2 of the members having family problems, it was
stated by Corey that the show would be rescheduled to the tour.[79]

In the summer of 2009, Slipknot made several appearances at European festivals, notably the
Sonisphere Festival for its Dutch and Spanish legs, and headlining performances at Germany's
Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals and the UK's Download Festival. The band completed
the All Hope is Gone World Tour with a performance at the first annual Trinity of Terrors
Halloween Celebration which took place at the Palms Resort and Casino on November 1, 2009.
[81]

In August 2009, Slipknot won two Kerrang! awards, including best live act. They were also
voted best international band.[82] 1 It has been confirmed by Corey that the band will be going on
another short break after the All Hope Is Gone World Tour, so he can get back in the studio with
Stone Sour also to work on his solo album.

On September 9, 2009, Slipknot re-released their album slipknot as Slipknot 10th Anniversary –
Limited Edition. The album features 25 tracks, including the original album as well as rare
demos, remixes, rare b-sides and more. The DVD, entitled "of the (sic): Your Nightmares, Our
Dreams", contains behind the scene footage of the band from 1999 as well as music videos and
other extras.[83]
On September 17, 2009, Shawn Crahan revealed that he is writing and releasing a book titled
The Apocalyptic Nightmare Journey, telling the journey of being in Slipknot. There is no known
date when the book will be released. He has also started his own art gallery showings, selling his
photographs, paintings, and canvas prints.[79]

On December 18, 2009, Slipknot released a short film about the song Snuff taken from the All
Hope Is Gone album.[84]

Death of Paul Gray

On May 24, 2010, bassist Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel room in Urbandale, Iowa.[85][86] He
is survived by his wife, Brenna Gray who was expecting their first child at the time of his death.
[87]
Circumstances surrounding his death at the time of it were not immediately known, though an
autopsy suspected no foul play or trauma was involved.[88] The day after his death, the band held
a live press conference in commemoration of Gray, expressing their feelings from the incident.[89]
On May 28 it was confirmed that his death was caused by a drug overdose.[90]

Influences and style

Sid Wilson and Shawn "Clown" Crahan at a concert in Wisconsin in 2005.

The band has stated that their primary influences include Kiss, Black Sabbath, Slayer, Judas
Priest, Korn, White Zombie, Led Zeppelin and Beastie Boys.[91][92][93][94] Death metal, black metal
and heavy metal have been mentioned as a key influence on the band's musical direction
alongside nu metal, the category the band is generally listed as.[95][96][97][98] They have also stated
that they are influenced by industrial bands like Head of David, Godflesh and Skinny Puppy as
well as Neurosis and jungle music like Roni Size.[99][100]

Slipknot are seen as pioneers of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. They can be
compared with groups such as Pantera, Machine Head, Biohazard, Life of Agony, and Prong and
are known for often chaotic and energetic live shows.[101][102][103] The extreme performance style
provided by their large line-up featuring a typical heavily down-tuned guitar set-up (lead,
rhythm, and bass guitars), two percussionists in addition to the primary drummer, and electronics
(samplers and turntables).[104] Robert Cherry of Rolling Stone compared the band's sound to "a
threshing machine devouring a military drum corps".[51]

Their early work hosted a diverse range of vocal styles, ranging from growled vocals, rapping
and occasional melodic singing. In more recent work, this vocal style remains present, but now
includes more melodic singing as well as less rapping.[50] The lyrics generally follow a very
aggressive tone and feature themes such as darkness, nihilism, anger, disaffection, love,
misanthropy and psychosis. Rick Anderson of Allmusic regards the group's lyrics as "not
generally quotable on a family website". There has been controversy surrounding Slipknot's
lyrics, including a case in which a pair of young killers blamed the lyrics from the song
"Disasterpiece" for their vicious crime[105] and a case in 2006 in which lyrics from the song
"Surfacing" were found at the site of a grave robbing.

Image and identities

It's our way of becoming more intimate with the music. It's a way for us to become unconscious
of who we are and what we do outside of music. It's a way for us to kind of crawl inside it and be
able to use it.The band is known for its attention-grabbing image: the members wear matching
jumpsuit uniforms, and each one has a unique mask.[13] In the past, their jumpsuits have featured
large UPC barcodes printed on the back and sleeves, which are identical and render the same
barcode number to the barcode on their first demo, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.[23] Aside from their
real names, members of the band are referred to by numbers zero through eight.[13]

With each new album, Slipknot has used new masks and coveralls.[108][109] The masks have not
changed dramatically with the release of their second and third albums, as the masks are more of
an extension of what they previously were. Jordison addressed the issue in an interview in 2004,
stating that the change in masks are to show growth and difference within age.[110] During the
music video and live performances of their single "Vermilion" the band change their respective
masks to death masks made from casts of their own faces.[111] Also in 2004, Gray claimed that
the special effects company Screaming Mad George made their masks from their third album
cycle,[112] and pictures of the band's masks from their second album cycle can be found on the
SMG website.[113]

The masks have been subject of much criticism, generally thought of as a gimmick to try sell
their product.[114] The band strongly objects to these claims, proclaiming that the masks are used
to draw the attention away from themselves and put it on the music.[115] Several members have
said how the masks are a visual representation of how the music makes them feel and how they
put the members in an animal-like mentality.[46][110] The coveralls and numbers are an extension
of the anti-image concept they created with the masks.[23] The integrity of the masks is also a
topic of criticism as band members have appeared outside of Slipknot without the masks. The
issue has been addressed by most band members. Percussionist Crahan specifically addressed the
issue during an interview on The Sauce when discussing the release of their 2006 DVD
Voliminal: Inside the Nine, proclaiming that the masks are always going to be part of the
Slipknot show.[116]

Purgatory masks

Beginning on April 1, 2008, Slipknot's official website began to display splash teasers to
promote All Hope Is Gone. During the process there had been around 18 splash teasers, the first
nine displayed the band in their new large masks, however the last seemingly showed dark
figures with what seemed like ordinary size heads. During the recording of the video shoot for
Psychosocial, the purgatory masks could be seen being burned in the background. An interview
with Jim Root revealed that "they represent the ego of that is Slipknot."[117]

Controversy with masks

The band's image has started controversy over the years. A portion of the controversy comes
from the band Mushroomhead, who, along with their fans, claimed that Slipknot stole their
image.[118] In 2009, Mushroomhead vocalist Waylon Reavis stated that the feud had ended.[119]
Another source of controversy was the band's 2005 lawsuit against Burger King, claiming that
company created the advertising based band Coq Roq to capitalize on Slipknot's image.[120] The
band's lawyer claimed that Burger King had contacted the band's label to get Slipknot to take
part in an "advertising campaign designed to motivate young people to vote".[121] Burger King
responded to the suit with a countersuit, and in that suit pointed out that many other bands, such
as Mr. Bungle, Mushroomhead, Mudvayne, Kiss, Insane Clown Posse and Gwar have used
masks as part of their image. After negotiations, the advertising campaign and lawsuit were both
dropped.