Slipknot formed in 1995 and underwent several line-up changes following the independent release of Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. in 1996. Their self-titled debut studio album was released in 1999 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 2002's Disasterpieces, which was certified quadruple-platinum in the United States.
Early formations of a band were beginning to form as early as 1992 with the core band members, drummer Shawn Crahan, vocalist Anders Colsefini, and bassist Paul Gray enlisting the help of guitarists Donnie Steele and Quan Nong.[1]
In September 1995, the band The Pale Ones was created comprising Crahan on drums, Gray on bass, Colsefini on vocals and guitarist Steele.[2]Joey Jordison joined the band shortly after, taking up the role of drummer and, subsequently, Crahan moved to percussion.[3] 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.[4] The band played their first live performance under the name of Meld on December 4, 1995 at a club called Crowbar in Des Moines.[5] Soon after, Jordison suggested renaming the band "Slipknot" after their song that eventually appeared on Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat..[6] The band also began experimenting with their image, wearing grotesquemake up and eventually the anti-image concept developed towards the members wearing masks.[7] Up until this point, the band had remained mainly obscured due to their desire to wait until their music was fully developed.[6]
With plenty of material ready, the band began recording in a local studio, SR Audio with Sean McMahon.[9] In February 1996, guitarist 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.[10] His replacement, Craig Jones, arrived during the mixing stages of this new project.[10] On April 4, Slipknot played their first public performance at Des Moinesreggae club the Safari, where they played most of their early gigs.[11] Their second gig at the Safari was alongside Stone Sour.[11] 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.[12] Subsequently, Jones moved to full-time sampler and Mick Thomson was brought in to fill the space on guitar.[12] After conflict over the mixing and mastering, the band self released their first album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on Halloween, October 31, 1996.[13]
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.[14] Slipknot had returned to the studio having developed new material, which demanded more vocal melody.[8] As a result, Corey Taylor was recruited from fellow Des Moines band Stone Sour; this moved Colsefini to backing vocals and percussion.[8] 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.[8] The gap on percussion was the filled by Greg Welts, who was affectionately known as "Cuddles".[15] Towards the end of 1997, the band was assigned individual numbers respectively and began wearing uniform coveralls at their shows.[16]
In early 1998, the band created another small demo, which included "Spit It Out".[17] 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 producerRoss Robinson was contacted.[17] The band, which had a strong interest in working with Robinson, met with him and it was then decided they would work together.[18] Soon after, DJ Sid Wilson was brought in to the band after showing great interest and impressing band members.[19] 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] The reasons behind this are unclear, Chris Fehn replaced Welts on percussion and on July 8 they signed to Roadrunner Records.[22][21]
Self-titled 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 was Jim Root leaving the band with the line-up they retain.[23] Recording finished in early 1999,[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]
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 videoWelcome to Our Neighborhood (which was later released on DVD in 2003). In early 2000, Slipknot was certified platinum, a first for an album released by Roadrunner Records.[28] In July 2001, Q named Slipknot as one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time".[29]
Iowa and side projects (2001–2003)
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.[30]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",[31] and David Fricke of Rolling Stone called the album "the first great record of the nu metal era."[32] It was also a commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard album charts, and at number one on the UK album chart.[33] In mid-2001, the band once again toured with Ozzfest.[13] The band also appeared in the concert scene of the 2002 movie Rollerball.[34] In the same year, the BBC said that Slipknot stole the show and proved entertaining after the band performed at Reading Festival in England.[35] In the same year Slipknot released their second visual output with the release of their DVD Disasterpieces.[36]
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.[37] Drummer Jordison also had his own project in which he took up the role of guitarist in the Murderdolls.[38] Slipknot planned to work on a third album towards the end of 2002 but the band was experiencing problems.[39] 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.[40]
Vol.3 (The Subliminal Verses), 9.0 Live, and hiatus (2003–2007)
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.
In late 2003, Slipknot began writing and recording with producer Rick Rubin,[42] who had previously worked with artists such as Johnny Cash, System of a Down, and Slayer.[13][43] Roadrunner Records also announced they would be no longer be distributing Slipknot's albums in Scandanavia, due to financial terms. However Slipknot managed to pen a deal with Nuclear Blast Records in early 2003 for the releases in Scandanavia. The band released their third album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) on May 24, 2004, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200.[44]Johnny Loftus of Allmusic called the album "a satisfying, carefully crafted representation of [the band's] career to date",[45] 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."[46] 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.[47] In 2004, the band toured on the Ozzfest for a third time,[48] the same year they made their first appearance at Download Festival[49] where Jordison replaced Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich after he was rushed to hospital.[50] In 2005, Slipknot made live appearances without percussionist Crahan—who was supporting his wife during an illness—including their return to Download Festival.[51]
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".[55] Root, Taylor, and Gray also contributed to the album.[56] In 2006, Root and Taylor once again returned with Stone Sour releasing their second album Come What(ever) May.[57] Jordison drummed for several bands while on tour including; Ministry (2006) and Korn (2007).[58][59] He also produced 3 Inches of Blood's third album Fire Up the Blades which was released in early 2007.[60] Later in the year Crahan revealed a new side project, Dirty Little Rabbits.[61]
All Hope Is Gone (2008–present)
Slipknot has 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.[62][63] Preparation for the album started in October 2007 with recording pushed back to February 2008.[64] For this release the band has expressed an interest in making it their heaviest album to date with an expansion of the thrash metal riffing introduced on Vol. 3.[65] However, they also want to make it their most experimental record, and will be including more acoustic guitars and melodic vocals, as well as introducing hi-hats and cymbals to the additional percussion.[66][67] The album will be the band's first work with Dave Fortman as producer.[68] Along with the album, the band have debuted "evolved" masks and uniforms, which match the style of the new album.[69] Slipknot will headline the first ever Mayhem Festival festival in July and August 2008.[70] 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.[71]
Slipknot also toured Australia, Japan, Europe and the UK in the latter months of 2008, with the bands Machine Head and Children of Bodom opening at their concerts.[72] The UK dates were announced on August 20, for an early December tour.[73] 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.[74] It was also stated in an interview by Jim Root that "Were just going to tour our asses off and then we are going to figure out how to sneak out some of the music that we created, that didn't make it to the record." making it a possibility of All Hope Is Gone being re-released, similar to their self-titled album.[75]
Slipknot are seen as pioneers of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal developing a lean and aggressive brand of metal formed from thrash, metalcore and death metal. In this 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.[86][87][88] 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).[89] Robert Cherry of Rolling Stone compared the band's sound to "a threshing machine devouring a military drum corps".[46]
Their early work hosted a diverse range of vocal styles, ranging from rapping to occasional singing to growled vocals.[89] In more recent work, this vocal style remains present, but now includes more melodic singing.[45] The lyrics generally follow a very aggressive tone and feature themes such as darkness, nihilism, anger, disaffection, love, misanthropy and psychosis.[13][45] Rick Anderson of Allmusic regards the group's lyrics as "not generally quotable on a family website".[27] 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[90] and a case in 2006 in which lyrics from the song "Surfacing" were found at the site of a grave robbing.[91] However, the band has never faced official allegations that their lyrics incite violent or criminal behaviour.
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 uniform jumpsuits and each one as well wears a mask unique from each other's.[13] In the past, their jumpsuits have featured large UPCbarcodes 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 attained new masks and coveralls.[93][94] The masks haven't 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.[95] 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.[96] Also in 2004, Gray claimed that the special effects company Screaming Mad George made their masks from their third album cycle,[97] and pictures of the band's masks from their second album cycle can be found on the SMG website.[98]
The masks have been subject of much criticism, generally thought of as a gimmick to try sell their product.[99] The band however strongly objects to these claims, proclaiming that the masks are used to draw the attention away from themselves and to the music.[100] 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.[95][41] The coveralls and numbers are an extension of their 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.[101]
Death masks
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.[96]
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 shows dark figures with what seems like ordinary size heads. During the recording of the video shoot for Psychosocial, the purgatory masks can be seen being burned in the background. In a interview with Jim Root, he says "they represent the ego of that is Slipknot". [102]
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, claim that Slipknot stole their image.[103] In 2005, another source of controversy was the band's lawsuit against Burger King, claiming that company created the advertising based band Coq Roq to capitalize on Slipknot's image.[104] 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".[105] Burger King responded to the suit with a countersuit, and in that suit pointed out that many other bands, such as Mudvayne, Kiss, and GWAR have used masks as part of their image, although after private discussions the advertising campaign was dropped.[104][105]
Slipknot has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards and has won once. They were also nominated at the 2008 VMA's, in the category of Best Rock Video, for their second single from their fourth studio album, "Psychosocial", they lost it to Linkin Park's "Shadow of the Day".
