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. The lineup was made up of friends who met through the local music scene, including vocalist Anders Colsefni and guitarist Donnie Steele. 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.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. On December 4, the band made their live debut; playing a benefit show using the name Meld.
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. In December, Slipknot began recording material at SR Audio, a studio in the band's hometown. Without a recording budget, the band were forced to self-finance the project, the costs of which came to an estimated $40,000. 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.
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. After a complicated time with mixing and mastering, the band self-released Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on Halloween, October 31, 1996.
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. Slipknot received a small amount of airplay on local radio stations off the back of the demo. However, it didn't lead to any kind of interest from record labels, so the band returned to the studio to develop new material. 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.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. The gap on percussion was filled by Greg Welts, who was affectionately known as "Cuddles." In early 1998, Slipknot produced a second demo featuring five tracks exclusively for record labels. 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. Soon after, DJ Sid Wilson was recruited as the band's ninth member after showing great interest and impressing band members. In late June, Slipknot received a $500,000 seven-album deal from Roadrunner Records; the band signed the deal publicly on July 8, 1998. Two days prior to this, Welts was fired from the band, something which Slipknot refuse to comment on.
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. Slipknot are seen as pioneers of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and have been compared to groups such as Pantera, Machine Head, Biohazard, Life of Agony, and Prong. They are also considered a nu metal band. However, band members prefer to distance themselves musically from 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. The band's sound typically features a heavily down-tuned guitar setup, a distinctly large percussive section, samplesand turntables. Utilizing a variety of vocal styles, their music typically features growled vocals, screaming, rapping, backing vocals and occasional melodic singing. 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). 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. Often drawing upon topics like the music industry, politics, personal strife and reflection, among others. Rick Anderson of Allmusic described their lyrics as "discernible [and] not generally quotable on a family website".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. However, theirAll Hope is Gone album moved to a more groove metal and standard metal sound, as well as having some traits influenced by thrash metal and death metal. The band has also been considered alternative metal.
Slipknot are known for their chaotic and energetic live shows, which contributed to their success.These typically feature most band members headbanging, several members stage diving and even fighting. Their early performances featured extreme acts such as stage dives from high balconies and band members setting each other on fire. 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. 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. While reviewing a Slipknot performance, Alistair Lawrence of Kerrang! enthused, "the choreographed chaos is too multi-faceted to fully describe," on a similar note, NME described one of their shows as "a scene of chaos".
Slipknot is the debut studio album by American metal band Slipknot. It was released on 29 June 1999 through Roadrunner Records, following a demo containing a few of the songs which had been released in 1998, and was reissued in December 1999 with a slightly altered track listing and mastering as the result of a lawsuit. It was the first release by the band to be produced by Ross Robinson, who sought to refine Slipknot's sound rather than alter the group's musical direction.
The album spans several genres, but is generally noted for its extensive percussion and overall heavy sound. It was well received by fans and critics alike and was responsible for bringing Slipknot a large increase in popularity. The album peaked at number 51 on theBillboard 200, and has gone on to become certified double platinum in the United States, making it the band's best selling album. It was voted the best debut album of the last 25 years by readers of Metal Hammer magazine.
Iowa is the second album by American metal band Slipknot. Released by Roadrunner Records on August 28, 2001, it was produced by Ross Robinson and Slipknot. The title derives from the band's home state, Iowa, which members have stated is one of their biggest sources of inspiration. With much anticipation for the band's second album following on the success of their 1999 self-titled debut, pressures on the band were high. Their relationships with each other suffered and was later described as the darkest time of their career. It was also the first time that guitarist Jim Root had been significantly involved in a Slipknot album due to his joining very late in recording of their debut album, as Root was only featured on two songs from that release. Despite troubles within the band and with Iowa's development, Slipknot promoted it for almost a year.
Iowa was a major success, it premiered in the top ten album sales charts in nine countries. Generally positively received, it includes some of their notable songs, such as "Disasterpiece", "The Heretic Anthem", "People = Shit" and the two Grammy-nominated songs "Left Behind" and the remix of "My Plague". Critic John Mulvey proclaimed the album as the "absolute triumph of nu metal". While more technical than their debut album, Iowa is considered to be the band's heaviest and darkest. It has been certifiedplatinum in the United States and Canada. A special edition of Iowa was reissued on November 1, 2011 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the record. It was accompanied by a full live audio of the hit DVD Disasterpieces and a film entitled Goat directed by Shawn Crahan with the four music videos, never-seen-before interviews and footage from the Iowaperiod.
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) is the third studio album by American metal bandSlipknot. The album was released on May 25, 2004, through Roadrunner Records, and a special edition, containing a bonus disc, was released on April 12, 2005. It is the band’s only album produced by Rick Rubin and also the only one not to feature harsh profanity. Following the band’s tour to promote its second album in 2002, speculation regarding the future began. Some band members had already been involved in side projects includingMurderdolls, To My Surprise, and the reformation of Stone Sour. However, in 2003, Slipknot moved into The Mansion to work on the album. Initially, the band was unproductive; lead vocalist Corey Taylor was drinking heavily. Nevertheless, they wrote more than enough material for a new album—the band’s first to incorporate more traditional, melodic song structures, guitar solos and acoustic guitars.
The album received generally positive reviews. Slipknot was praised by Allmusic for its "dedication to making it a Slipknot album", while Q added that the album was "a triumph". The album peaked within the top ten in album sales across eleven countries, and went Platinum in the United States. The band also received the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Before I Forget". At the end of 2009, "Before I Forget" was listed as "AOL’s Top Metal Song of the Decade". Roadrunner Records have listed the music video for "Duality" as the best video in Roadrunner history.
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All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American metal band Slipknot. Released on August 20, 2008 by Roadrunner Records, the album was published in two versions: the standard album in a Compact Disc case and a special edition packaged in a six-folddigipak containing three bonus tracks, a 40 page booklet, and a bonus DVD with a documentary of the album's recording. Preparation for the album began in 2007, while recording started in February 2008 in the band's home state of Iowa. All Hope Is Gone is Slipknot's first studio album since 2004's Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). Before the album's launch, Slipknot released a series of promotional images and audio samples from the album through various websites. All Hope Is Gone is considered the band's most eclectic-sounding album, incorporating elements from their previous three. All Hope Is Gone includes their "brutal" edge, such as the track "All Hope Is Gone", reminiscent of songs such as "(sic)" from their debut self-titled album; slow burning, "trippy" elements such as "Gehenna", reminiscent of "Skin Ticket" from their second album Iowa; and acoustics ("Snuff"), which was first introduced on Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses).
Lyrically, All Hope Is Gone centers on themes such as anger, disaffection, obsession, and the music industry. The album name also features a more prominent focus on politics than their previous albums. Slipknot promoted All Hope Is Gone on a world tour and at theMayhem Festival. Generally well received by critics, the album reached the top position on nine record charts worldwide, including the Billboard 200—the first Slipknot album to do so. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA on the 10th of August, 2010 for shipments in excess of 1,000,000 albums in the United States. It is the final studio album released by the band to include bassist and founding member, Paul Gray, who was found dead in an Iowa hotel on May 24, 2010, almost two years after the release of All Hope Is Gone.
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