Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in September 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray. After several line-up changes in their early years, the band settled on nine members for more than a decade: Corey Taylor, Mick Thomson, Jim Root, Gray, Craig Jones, Sid Wilson, Crahan, Chris Fehn and Joey Jordison. Gray died on May 24, 2010, and was replaced from 2011 to 2014 by former guitarist Donnie Steele.
Jordison departed from the band on December 12, 2013 for unknown
reasons, followed by Steele during the recording sessions for .5: The Gray Chapter as he wanted to focus on getting married. The band is now touring with replacement musicians Alessandro Venturella on bass and Jay Weinberg on drums.
Slipknot is well known for its attention-grabbing image, aggressive style of music, and energetic and chaotic live shows.[1][2] The band enjoyed a somewhat meteoric rise to success following the release of their eponymous debut album in 1999, and the 2001 follow-up album, Iowa, further increased the band's popularity. After a brief hiatus, Slipknot returned in 2004 with Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), before going on another hiatus and returning in 2008 with their fourth album, All Hope Is Gone, which debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200. After a longer hiatus, Slipknot released their fifth studio album, .5: The Gray Chapter, in 2014. Additionally, the band has released a live album, 9.0: Live, a compilation album, Antennas to Hell, and four live DVDs.
Early days (1995–1998)
Slipknot was formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in September 1995 when drummer Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray started a band named The Pale Ones.[3] The lineup was made up of friends who met through the local music scene, including vocalist Anders Colsefni and guitarist Donnie Steele.[3] Not long after their inception, Gray invited Joey Jordison
to a rehearsal because the band were interested in experimenting with
additional drum elements. Jordison subsequently joined the band as their
main drummer, moving Crahan to custom percussion.[3]
Furthermore, Colsefni also took up custom percussion while remaining
the band's vocalist. The band then decided to invite Josh Brainard as
their second guitarist, bringing their lineup to six members.[4] On December 4, the band made their live debut; playing a benefit show using the name Meld.[5]
Much of the band's early development was retrospectively attributed
to late-night planning sessions between Gray, Crahan and Jordison at a Sinclair
gas station where Jordison worked nights. It was there, in late 1995,
that Jordison suggested changing the band name to Slipknot after their
song of the same name.[4] In December, Slipknot began recording material at SR Audio, a studio in the band's hometown.[6] Without a recording budget, the band were forced to self-finance the project, the costs of which came to an estimated $40,000.[7]
In February 1996, guitarist Donnie Steele decided to leave Slipknot due
to his Christian beliefs. When questioned in 1999 about Steele's
departure, Jordison explained: "we were prepared to keep him on, but he
didn't want to stay." During the mixing stages of their project at SR Audio, Craig Jones was recruited as Steele's replacement on guitar.[8] However, throughout their time in the studio, the band were adding samples to their recordings but could not produce these sounds live. Subsequently, Jones became the band's sampler and Mick Thomson was brought in as the replacement guitarist.[9] After a complicated time with mixing and mastering, the band self-released Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on Halloween, October 31, 1996.[10]
Distribution for the demo was initially left to the band and their
producer Sean McMahon, before it was handed over to the distribution
company Ismist in early 1997.[12]
Slipknot received a small amount of airplay on local radio stations off
the back of the demo. However, it did not lead to any kind of interest
from record labels, so the band returned to the studio to develop new
material.[12] It was at this time that the band sought more melodic vocals for their music. As a result, Corey Taylor was recruited from fellow Des Moines band Stone Sour; this moved Colsefni to backing vocals and percussion.[13]
While working in the studio, Slipknot continued to do local shows,
during one of which in September 1997, Colsefni announced on stage that
he was leaving the band.[14] The gap on percussion was filled by Greg Welts, who was affectionately known as "Cuddles."[15] In early 1998, Slipknot produced a second demo featuring five tracks exclusively for record labels.[16] The band began to receive a lot of attention from record labels, and in February 1998, producer Ross Robinson offered to produce their debut album after attending rehearsals in Des Moines.[17] Soon after, DJ Sid Wilson was recruited as the band's ninth member after showing great interest and impressing band members.[18] In late June, Slipknot received a $500,000 seven-album deal from Roadrunner Records; the band signed the deal publicly on July 8, 1998.[19] Two days prior to this, Welts was fired from the band, something which Slipknot refuse to comment on.[19]
Slipknot and emergence (1998–2000)
Chris Fehn was brought in to replace Welts on percussion before Slipknot traveled to Malibu, California to work on their debut album in September 1998.[21]
Partway through the recording process of the album, Slipknot returned
to Des Moines, Iowa for the Christmas period, during which guitarist
Brainard decided to leave the band.[22] Speaking about his decision, Brainard explained: "some decisions were made that I wasn't particularly happy with."[23] Slipknot recruited Jim Root to complete their lineup and returned to Malibu to continue work on their debut album.[23] Work on the album concluded in early 1999, allowing the band to go on their first tour as part of the Ozzfest in 1999.[10] The tour proved to expand their audience greatly and their self-titled album was released on June 29, 1999.[24] Slipknot went on to release their first home video Welcome to Our Neighborhood and the two singles; "Wait and Bleed" and "Spit It Out".[10] The singles received some airplay, but Slipknot developed a large following very quickly mainly from touring and word of mouth.[10] The band toured several countries throughout 1999 and 2000 in support of the album. In early 2000, Slipknot was certified platinum, a first for an album released by Roadrunner Records.[25]
Iowa and hiatus (2001–2003)
Anticipation for Slipknot's sophomore effort was intense and in early
2001, the band began recording their second album at Sound City and
Sound Image studios in Los Angeles.[10][26]
It was about this time that conflicts began to arise between band
members due to their extensive touring and recording schedules.[27] Despite this, recording on their second album came to a close in February 2001 and Slipknot embarked on their Iowa World Tour.[28] Iowa, the band's second album was released on August 28, 2001, peaking at number three on the Billboard album charts and at number one on the UK album chart.[29] The album produced three singles; "The Heretic Anthem" (promotional single) "Left Behind" and then "My Plague" which appeared on the soundtrack for the film Resident Evil.[30][31]
In 2002, Slipknot made their first (and to-date only) appearance in a
movie, performing the song "I Am Hated" in a scene in the remake of Rollerball.[32] The release of the album and the promotion in support of it resulted in sold out shows in large arenas in several countries.[33]
However, in mid-2002, Slipknot went on hiatus for the first time due to
internal conflicts, seeing several band members focus on side projects.[34] Vocalist Taylor and guitarist Root revived their band Stone Sour, drummer Jordison created the Murderdolls, percussionist Crahan founded To My Surprise and DJ Wilson went solo as DJ Starscream.[34]
At this time, the future of Slipknot was unclear and there was
speculation over whether the band had split and the possibility of a
third album.[35] Despite this, on November 22, 2002 Slipknot released their second DVD Disasterpieces.[36]
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) and second hiatus (2003–2007)
After several delays, Slipknot moved into The Mansion in Los Angeles, California in mid-2003 to work on their third album alongside producer Rick Rubin.[38] By early 2004, work had finished on the album and they began The Subliminal Verses World Tour with their appearance on the Jägermeister Music Tour in March 2004.[39] Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) was released on May 24, 2004, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard album charts.[40] The album produced six singles; "Duality", "Vermilion", "Vermilion, Pt. 2", "Before I Forget", "The Nameless", and The Blister Exists. Slipknot recorded their first live album, 9.0: Live while touring in support of their third album. Released on November 1, 2005 9.0: Live peaked at number 17 on the Billboard album charts.[41] Touring in support of Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
continued through 2004 and up to the end of 2005 before Slipknot went
on hiatus for the second time. In 2005, several members of Slipknot were
involved in Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions, a collaboration album of artists signed to Roadrunner Records. 2006 saw Slipknot win their first (and to date only) Grammy Award, picking up the Best Metal Performance award with the single "Before I Forget".[42] On December 5, 2006, Slipknot released their third DVD Voliminal: Inside the Nine.[43]
While Slipknot were on hiatus, several band members once again focused
their attentions on side projects; vocalist Taylor and guitarist Root
returned to Stone Sour, drummer Jordison toured with several bands and
produced 3 Inches of Blood's third album Fire Up the Blades, Crahan founded Dirty Little Rabbits and Wilson returned as DJ Starscream once again.
All Hope Is Gone, third hiatus and Gray's death (2008–2010)
Preparation for Slipknot's fourth album began towards the end of 2007; however, work began when the band entered the Sound Farm Studio in Jamaica, Iowa with producer Dave Fortman in February 2008.[44][45] Work came to a close on the album in June, prior to the beginning of the All Hope Is Gone World Tour on July 9, 2008.[46] Slipknot's fourth album; All Hope Is Gone was released on August 20, 2008, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard albums chart.[47] The album produced five singles; "All Hope Is Gone", "Psychosocial", "Dead Memories", "Sulfur" and "Snuff".
2009 marked the 10-year anniversary of Slipknot's debut album; to
commemorate the event, the band released a special edition version of Slipknot on September 9, 2009.[48]
Touring in support of the album continued throughout 2008 and 2009,
before coming to a close on October 31, 2009, resulting in Slipknot's
third hiatus.[49]
During the hiatus, several band members focused on respective side projects; vocalist Taylor founded Junk Beer Kidnap Band
and returned to Stone Sour with guitarist Root, Crahan continued
working with his band Dirty Little Rabbits, drummer Jordison returned
with his band Murderdolls and became the new permanent drummer of Rob
Zombie. Percussionist Fehn is now a full-time bassist with metalcore band Will Haven and Sid Wilson founded the eponymous band Sid.
In 2010, bassist Gray was planning to tour with the supergroup, Hail!. However, on May 24, 2010, he was found dead in a hotel room in Urbandale, Iowa.[51][52] Circumstances surrounding his death at the time were not immediately known; an autopsy suspected that his death was not caused by intention of anyone, but still did not reveal the cause of it.[53]
The day after his death, the remaining eight members of the band held a
live unmasked press conference alongside Gray's widow and brother,
expressing their feelings about the incident.[54] On June 21, the cause of death was confirmed as an accidental overdose on morphine and fentanyl, the latter being a synthetic morphine substitute.[55]
The band was hesitant to comment on the future of Slipknot. The
members made conflicting statements in interviews regarding the
situation; drummer Jordison told The Pulse of Radio "there is another Slipknot record already kinda in the making".[56] Vocalist Taylor revealed to FMQB Productions' that he is "very conflicted about whether or not [he wants] to do anything with Slipknot".[57] The band released their fourth video album (sic)nesses on September 28,[58] where it debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Top Music Video Charts.[59] The DVD features Slipknot's complete live performance at the 2009 Download Festival and a 45 minute film documenting their tour in support of All Hope Is Gone,[60] and served as a tribute to Paul Gray.[61]
Return to the stage, Antennas to Hell and Knotfest (2010–2012)
Regarding the continuation of Slipknot, Taylor later told NME
that Paul Gray would want them to continue and in that spirit he feels
that they should, although he feels "on the fence" about returning to
the band.[62] Slipknot returned to touring in 2011 for a small run of shows in Europe. They headlined the Sonisphere Festival and Rock in Rio among the likes of Iron Maiden and Metallica and performed at Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting.[63][64][65] Founding guitarist, Donnie Steele substituted for Gray in the concert shows, however was obscured from the audience's view, behind Jordison.[66][67]
Slipknot has also confirmed that they will complete and release their fifth studio album with no plans of replacing Gray.[69][70]
Jordison confirmed that the writing process for the band's fifth studio
album had already begun and that he had written 17 songs. Slipknot
performed at Mayhem Festival 2012.[71]
On May 29, 2012, Roadrunner Records posted a teaser video on their website titled Antennas to Hell.[72] Later that day, Corey Taylor revealed on Twitter that Slipknot will release a greatest hits album on June 17, 2012.[72] He also tweeted saying the band are not recording new material yet but are putting together demos for a new album.[72]
Slipknot hosted their first annual music festival, called Knotfest, which was held on August 17, 2012, at Mid-America Motorplex near Pacific Junction, Iowa (in the Omaha – Council Bluffs metropolitan area) and August 18, 2012, in Somerset, Wisconsin. Other bands that played at the festival were Deftones, Lamb of God, Serj Tankian
and more. Among the activities the festival offered as part of its
"dark carnival experience" were circus big-top tents, pillars of fire,
amusement park rides, burlesque performers, firebreathers, stilt
walkers, drum circles made of junkyard cars and graffiti walls. The two
shows also debuted a Slipknot museum.[73] On Friday 14, June 2013 Slipknot headlined the Download Festival
for a second time. Performing to roughly 90,000 people, the band were
twice forced to stop their set, once in the middle of a song, in order
to allow repairs to be made to the front barricade, which had split open
under crowd pressure.[74]
.5: The Gray Chapter (2013–present)
Production of the band's fifth album began in late 2013. Taylor described the album as "very dark" and a cross between Iowa and Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses).[75]
Guitarist Jim Root sat out Stone Sour's tour in January (and it was
revealed later that he was fired from that band), to write material for
Slipknot.[76].
On December 12, 2013, the band announced through their official
website that long-time member and drummer, Joey Jordison had parted ways
with the band after 18 years citing personal reasons.[78][79][80]
Jordison later posted on his official Facebook page that he "did not
quit Slipknot", and that he was both "shocked" and "blindsided" by the
news. Both Jordison and Slipknot have independently promised to release
further details about the split.[77]
Taylor noted that Jordison would not be appearing on the new album as
he did not partake in any songwriting sessions prior to his departure.[81]
In July, 2014 the band began releasing teasers regarding the release
of their fifth album on their website and social media using cryptic
messages and gory imagery.[82][83] Their first song in six years entitled "The Negative One" was released on August 1[84] and was accompanied by a music video four days later directed by Crahan. The video did not feature any band members.[85] On August 24, Slipknot released an official radio single entitled "The Devil In I" and the name of the upcoming album was revealed to be .5: The Gray Chapter through iTunes, with an expected release date of October 28.[86][87] This was later revised to October 17 for the Netherlands and Australia, October 20 for the UK and October 21 worldwide.[88]
Slipknot began their North American tour in support of the album on October 25 at the second iteration of Knotfest.[89] The tour dubbed the "Prepare for Hell" is co-headlined by Korn with King 810 as support.[90][91] They have also been confirmed, along with several other major acts, to be performing at 2015's Soundwave festival in Australia.[92]
A bassist and drummer were brought in to replace Gray and Jordison
respectively with Crahan designing a mask for them to wear which would
differentiate them from the band.[93]
The official video for "The Devil In I" was released on September 12
featuring musicians wearing slightly modified versions of the band's
older masks with the exception of Taylor who wore a brand new mask. The
identities of the drummer and bassist shown in the video were the
subject of speculation among fans, but their names were not officially
released by the band.[94][95] Taylor later admitted that he was "upset" at the leak of the identity of the bassist, alleged to be Alessandro Venturella because of a unique tattoo on his hand.[96]
Root told Guitar World that the identity of the drummer will not be
released. Taylor said that that neither the bassist nor the drummer are
permanent members of the band.[97]
On December 3, a former Slipknot road crew drum tech posted a
photograph he took of a touring band personnel list that confirmed
bassist Alessandro Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg as members of the tour.[98]
The two new musicians themselves have been viewed unfavorably by some
of the other members of Slipknot, with Shawn Crahan being quoted by Kerrang! magazine as saying: "This is Slipknot, fuck both of those guys. ... They'll never be in the band. Never."[99]
Corey Taylor has also said that the two "got a crack at designing their
own masks and they failed miserably", with the masks they now wear
on-stage having been given to them by the band.[99]
Slipknot's new album's single, "The Negative One", was nominated for the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards.[100]
Style and lyrical themes
Slipknot draw influence from an array of styles and bands, most notably including hard rock and heavy metal bands such as Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Helmet, Slayer, Fear Factory, Godflesh, Skinny Puppy, Neurosis, Judas Priest, Metallica, White Zombie, Led Zeppelin and Beastie Boys.[10][101][102][103] Slipknot are seen as pioneers of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and have been compared to groups such as Pantera, Machine Head, Hatebreed, Life of Agony, and Prong.[104] They are also considered a nu metal band.[105][106][107][108] However, band members prefer to distance themselves musically from other nu metal bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit.
Slipknot describe their sound as simply "metal metal" and equate their
link to nu metal solely as a coincidence in their time of emergence.[109] The band's sound typically features a heavily down-tuned guitar setup, a distinctly large percussive section, samples and turntables.[110] Utilizing a variety of vocal styles, their music typically features growled vocals, screaming, backing vocals, and occasional melodic singing.[110] However, the band have continually experimented with their sound – most notably developing tracks led by acoustic guitars and melodic singing first introduced on Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses).[111] Slipknot's lyrics generally follow a very aggressive tone, occasionally featuring profanity while exploring themes such as darkness, nihilism, anger, disaffection, love, misanthropy and psychosis.[10][111] Often drawing upon topics like the music industry, politics, personal strife and reflection, among others.[112] Rick Anderson of Allmusic described their lyrics as "discernible [and] not generally quotable on a family website".[24] However, on Vol. 3, Taylor has made a point of using no profanity in response to claims that he relied on the use of it.[113] However, their All Hope is Gone album moved to a more groove metal and standard metal sound,[114][115][116][106] as well as having some traits influenced by thrash metal and death metal.[115] The band has also been considered alternative metal.[117][118][119][120]
Slipknot are known for their chaotic and energetic live shows, which contributed to their success.[10] These typically feature most band members headbanging, several members stage diving and even fighting.[109][121]
Their early performances featured extreme acts such as stage dives from
high balconies and band members setting each other on fire.[122]
However, in recent years, they tend to refrain from acts this extreme.
Ex-bassist Gray explained that this was due to receiving lawsuits and to
prevent harming other people, adding that it was a "better move" for
the longevity of the band.[122]
Along with the band's energetic and unpredictable performance, Slipknot
often incorporate elaborate stage setups, which have featured pyrotechnics, elevated stage areas, hydraulic drum risers and computer screens among other things.[121][123] While reviewing a Slipknot performance, Alistair Lawrence of Kerrang! enthused, "the choreographed chaos is too multi-faceted to fully describe,"[124] on a similar note, NME described one of their shows as "a scene of chaos".[125]
Image and identities
The band is known for its attention-grabbing image; the members wear matching uniforms, have unique masks respectively and have aliases which are simply numbers.[10]
The original idea of wearing masks while performing is often attributed
to a clown mask that percussionist Crahan would bring to rehearsals
when the band first started.[3]
The concept developed, and by late 1997, the band decided that every
member of the band would wear unique masks and matching jumpsuits.[126]
Vocalist Taylor had this to say when questioned about the masks in
2002: "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."[127]
The concept behind wearing matching jumpsuits has been described as a
response to commercialism in the music business and led to the idea of
assigning the band members numerical aliases. "Originally, we were just
going to wear the jumpsuits [...] we figured we might as well take that
further and number ourselves. [...] We were basically saying, 'Hey,
we're a product!'" explained Taylor.[128] Their image has been the subject of much criticism, generally thought of as a gimmick to try sell more albums.[129]
The band strongly objects to these claims, proclaiming that the masks
are used to draw the attention away from themselves as individuals and
put it on the music.[130]
Several band members have noted that wearing the masks also helps keep
their personal lives private. During an interview in 2005, percussionist
Fehn went as far as saying it was a "blessing" that they do not get
recognized.[131]
Throughout their career, Slipknot have developed their image;
changing their uniforms and each member's mask accordingly with the
release of each album.[132][133]
The masks do not differ drastically in appearance between albums and
follow a similar style but with new elements. Drummer Jordison addressed
the issue in an interview in 2004, stating that it is to show growth
and difference within age in each individual.[134]
Alongside their usual masks, Slipknot have incorporated special masks
for specific reasons throughout their tenure. Most notably, for the
music video and live performances of the song "Vermilion" in 2004 and
2005, the band members wore life masks made from casts of their own faces.[135] Then in 2008, the band wore a set of large masks entitled "purgatory masks" during photo-shoots prior to the release of All Hope Is Gone and are seen burning them in the music video for "Psychosocial".[136] In the early days, Slipknot's masks were homemade; however, since 2001, they have been custom made by the special effect artist and musician Screaming Mad George.[137]
In 2012, Slipknot released an app for iOS and Android called
"Slipknot: Wear the Mask." The app invites fans to construct their own
masks, in the process defining what kind of Slipknot fans they are.[138]
Lyrics and image controversies
Slipknot has been the subject of many controversies throughout their
career, both for their music and their image. The lyrical content of
some of Slipknot's songs has been linked to several violent and criminal
incidents. One such case from 2003 involved a pair of young killers who
blamed the lyrics from the song "Disasterpiece" for their vicious
crime.[139] Another from 2006 involved the lyrics from the song "Surfacing" being found at the site of a grave robbing.[140]
In 2008, vocalist Taylor commented on a slashing incident
at a South African school to which Slipknot was linked, saying that
"obviously, I'm disturbed by the fact that people were hurt and someone
died, as far as my responsibility for that goes, it stops there, because
I know our message is actually very positive."[141]
He continued to say that "there are always going to be mental disorders
and people who cause violence for no other reason than the fact that
they're fucked up and lost."[141]
The band's image has also been subjected to several controversies. A longstanding feud came from the band Mushroomhead, who - along with their fans - claimed that Slipknot "stole their image."[142]
While Slipknot acknowledged that their images had similarities, they
never actively got involved in the feud, stating it was just a
coincidence. Taylor explains: "we both started at the same time —
neither one of us knowing anything about each other."[143]
Taylor also claims that at a live show in Cleveland, Ohio several
Mushroomhead fans threw objects including a padlock at the band and when
Slipknot was finished they along with Machine Head, and Amen went into the crowd and "handled it right there". In 2009, Mushroomhead vocalist Waylon Reavis
stated that they were no longer interested in feuding with Slipknot,
saying: "they're not the first masked band, we're not, no one was."[144] The band's 2005 lawsuit against Burger King claimed that the company created the advertising-based band Coq Roq to capitalize on Slipknot's image.[145] Burger King responded with a countersuit, pointing 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. However, after negotiations, the advertising campaign and lawsuit were both dropped.[145]
0 comments:
Post a Comment