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Everything you need to know about Slipknot

From how they got started to why they wear those iconic masks

Author: Scarlett MartinPublished 2nd Jan 2023

Starting out in a basement in Des Moines, Iowa, Slipknot have gone on to become one of the biggest and most fearsome bands on the planet. The masked metallers have not only headlined Download Festival three times and won a Grammy Award, but they've also sold over 30 million albums throughout their career.

Whether you've just discovered Slipknot or you've been a fan for years and want to brush up on your knowledge after their most recent album release - ‘The End, So Far’, in September 2022, which scored the band their third Number 1 - keep on reading to find out everything you need to know about these legends.

Who is in Slipknot?

The current line-up of Slipknot includes vocalist Corey Taylor (aka #8), bass player Alessandro Venturella, drummer Jay Weinberg, guitarist Jim Root (aka #4), DJ Sid Wilson (aka #0), guitarist Mick Thomson (aka #7), keyboardist Craig "133" Jones (aka #5), percussionist Michael Pfaff (aka Tortilla Man) and percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan (aka #6) - the only founding member left in the band.

When did Slipknot form?

Slipknot were formed in Des Moines Iowa in 1995 by friends Shawn Crahan and the late Joey Jordison and Paul Gray. The band took their name from the opening track of their debut demo 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat' which was released on Halloween in 1996.

Who are the former members of Slipknot?

The line-up of Slipknot has changed multiple times since the band formed in 1995. Former members of the band include:

Vocalist Anders Colsefni (1995-1997)

Percussionist Greg "Cuddles" Welts (aka #3) (1997–1998)

Guitarist Josh "Gnar" Brainard (aka #4) (1995-1999)

Bass player Paul Gray (aka #2) (1995-2010; died 24th May 24 2010)

Drummer Joey Jordison (aka #1) (1995–2013; died 26th July 2021)

Guitarist/Bass player Donnie Steele (1995-1996) (2011-2014)

Percussionist Chris Fehn (aka #3) (1998-2019)

Bassist and founding member Paul Gray died on 24th May 2010 of an overdose of prescription medicine morphine and fentanyl.

Joey Jordison passed away in July 2021 at the age of 46. His family confirmed he'd died in his sleep and his former Slipknot bandmates paid tribute to him on social media by sharing photos of blacked out squares as well as blacking out their website.

What do Slipknot call their fans?

Slipknot affectionately calls their fans Maggots. Corey Taylor once explained during an interview that the nickname came about because when the band are performing on stage, the audience "looks like writhing maggots jumping around."

Do Slipknot have their own festival?

Yes, Slipknot created their very own festival, 'Knotfest' back in 2012. The tour was originally held in the band's home stage of Iowa, but has since been to Canada, Japan, Mexico, Colombia, France and other states within the US. Deftones, Bring Me The Horizon, Lamb Of God, Of Mice And Men and Black Sabbath are just a few of the bands who have performed at Knotfest over the past eight years.

The inaugural Knotfest UK was scheduled to take place at The National Bowl in Milton Keynes on 22 August 2020, however it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Spin-off event Knotfest at Sea, which was due to set sail from Barcelona to Naples and back, was postponed from Summer 2020 to 2021. Due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19, the event has been put on hold.

How did Slipknot get famous?

Slipknot's achieved breakthrough success after the release of their self-titled debut album 'Slipknot' in 1999. The album, which featured singles 'Wait and Bleed' and 'Spit It Out', has sold over 2 million units in Slipknot's native US and achieved Platinum status in the UK. A major commercial and critical success, it remains Slipknots' best selling album to this day.

To promote 'Slipknot', the band embarked on their first major headline tour called 'World Domination'. The 123-date tour sold out in just a few hours and helped the band gain an even bigger following.

How many albums have Slipknot made?

To date, Slipknot have released seven studio albums including 'Slipknot (1999), 'Iowa' (2001), 'Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)' (2004), 'All Hope Is Gone' (2008), '.5: The Gray Chapter' (2014), 'We Are Not Your Kind' (2019) and 'The End, So Far' (2022).

Who writes all of Slipknot songs?

In the early days, the members of Slipknot were all involved in the song-writing process and are credited with writing mega-hits such as 'Duality', 'Psychosocial' and 'Before I Forget'. However, in more recent times, the band's songs have predominantly been written by Corey Taylor, Jim Root and Shawn Crahan. Frontman Corey Taylor has also previously written songs by himself for the band, including 'Goodbye', 'Nomadic' and 'Lech'.

What awards have Slipknot won?

During their 26-year career, Slipknot have won a variety of awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2006 for their song 'Before I Forget'. Most recently, Slipknot were awarded NME's Best Band In The World 2020 award.

The band have also won a medley of Kerrang! Awards over the years including Best International Live Act, Best Live Band, Best Track for 'Wait and Bleed', the Icon Award and Best International Band

What are Slipknot doing now?

Slipknot are set to embark on a European tour this summer, followed by Mexico and Brazil in December 2021 and Japan in 2022. This is the first time the band have been able to tour since the pandemic put a stop to large scale tours in 2020.

Whilst taking part in the 'Good Company' podcast with Scoot Bowling, frontman Corey Taylor revealed that Slipknot would like to create the follow-up to their latest album, 2019's 'We Are Not Your Kind', this year.

Slipknot have also recently released their limited run of Clown's Iowa Shine and No.9 Reserve, which has been voted best celebrity whiskey by Forbes for the past two years. The band first got into the liquor business in 2019, when they collaborated with Iowa's Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery to launch their own craft whiskey, No.9 Reserve.

Why do Slipknot wear masks?

Slipknot have been wearing their Halloween-style masks since 1997, after Shawn Crahan came up with his stage persona, 'Clown', and started wearing a clown mask during rehearsals. While they might have evolved over the years, the masks have become a crucial part of the band's identity.

During an interview with the BBC in 2016, frontman Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahan explained that the masks let each individual in the band represent his true self, whilst also being free of constraints like social politeness, shared mannerisms or conventional morality.

Whilst the majority of the band have been seen without their masks, keyboardist Craig "133" Jones prefers to remain masked or blurred out during Slipknot interviews. To see how the band's masks have changed over the years, take a look at the gallery below: