Slipknot biography. Madness, cheap bars and constant lineup changes

"The band's style of neo-shock rock and rap metal helped Slipknot become one of the most popular bands of the nu-metal wave of the late 90s. The team's fame was also enhanced by their stage uniforms and scary masks in the spirit of Halloween , as well as the mystical numbering of all members of the gang with numbers from 0 to 8. Adding here dark, nihilistic lyrics and a large army of fans called “Maggots”, you can get an idea of ​​​​what “Slipknot” is. The group was formed in 1995 year in the conservative American town of Des Moines and received its current name after a series of sign changes and several lineup shuffles.The settled numbered configuration looked as follows: DJ Sid Wilson (0), drummer Joey Jordison (1), bassist Paul Gray (2 ), percussionist Chris Fin (3), guitarist James Root (4), programmer-sampler Craig Jones (5), percussionist Sean "The Clown" Crahan (6), guitarist Mick Thompson (7) and vocalist Corey Taylor (8), but She acquired this appearance only a few years later.

The Des Moines music scene, about which virtually nothing was known, became a rather boring test for the group, whose ambitious plans were perceived by the people with great distrust and bewilderment. But the guys tried not to pay attention to it special attention and continued to work. By 1996, they had scraped together the money to release their first album, Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat, which was inspired by the game Werewolf: The Apocalypse. The record was printed in about a thousand copies, but still managed to attract the attention of show business figures.

At first, one distribution company from Nebraska took over its distribution, but only when the team, in search of more melodic vocals, invited Corey Taylor from “Stone Sour” to the microphone, did the majors begin to stir. The fastest label was Roadrunner Records, which signed a contract with the group in 1997. Under the leadership of famous producer Ross Robinson, Slipknot began recording an LP of the same name, which was released in 1999. More focused than "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat" and incorporating influences from death, speed metal, thrash, rap metal, and industrial into its nu-metal nature, the album subsequently received the status of the first official release, while the musicians began position as a demo. After the disk was released, the command was waiting for a dense tour schedule, which included a performance at the famous Ozzfest. The energetic, incendiary concerts of the guys in masks attracted more and more people, and the group's army of fans grew steadily. Slipknot's compositions were often heard on air, with "Wait And Bleed" and "Spit It Out" being especially popular.

A few months after its release, the circulation of the second disc exceeded the platinum mark, which had never happened before with releases from Roadrunner. The anticipation for the next album was very high, and many predicted it to take first place. However, the forecasts were somewhat unfulfilled, and the more technical, dark and heavy 2001 opus "Iowa" took only third place. As usual, after the release of the record there was a tour. Having tossed around quite a bit with concerts and Once again Having set the heat at Ozzfest, the musicians allowed themselves a break, especially since conflicts became more frequent among them.

However, no one sat idly by, and everyone started either solo work or participating in side projects, and besides, the Maggot Recordings label was founded. Work on next album“Slipknot” began in the fall of 2003, and the sessions were no longer led by Robinson, but by Rick Rubin. "Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses", on which the band abandoned profanity and diluted metal with acoustic rock, went on sale in May 2004, hitting the top ten in many countries and reaching number two on Billboard. This was followed by a headlining appearance at Ozzfest, the team's first appearance at the Download festival and the release of the live album 9.0: Live. After the end of the tour, some members of Slipknot again devoted themselves to side projects, but in August 2008 the team returned with the album "All Hope Is Gone". Recorded with producer Dave Fortman, the disc became the group's first hit at the very top of the Billboard list. Despite their chart success, the musicians continued to pursue other interests. In particular, Paul Gray decided to join the supergroup “Hail!”, but he never managed to tour with it - on May 24, 2010, he was found dead in a hotel room.

The next day, the team honored the memory of their colleague by playing a concert without masks, and a month later the cause of death was announced - an overdose of opiates. On next year the band resumed touring, and in the summer of 2012 the collection “Antennas To Hell: The Best Of Slipknot” was released. When work began on the next album, under unknown circumstances, Jordison left the lineup, and the team managed for a long time keep the new rhythm section a secret. It wasn't until .5 The Gray Chapter, which returned Slipknot to the brutal, dissonant sound of their earlier releases, was released that the public learned the names of the bassist and drummer - they turned out to be Alessandro Venturella and Jay Weinberg.

A small course on the band Slipknot Band composition: - Sid Wilson - DJ - Joey Jordison - drums - Paul Gray - bass - Chris Fehn - percussion - James Root - guitar - Craig Jones - sampling - Shawn Crahan - percussion - Mick Thomson - guitar - Corey Taylor - vocals

About the group The group Slipknot was formed in the American provincial town of Des Moines, located in the unremarkable state of Iowa, in 1995. The band's founder is former welder and current percussionist Sean Craan. He, along with two other drummers, Jordison and Chris Fehn, assembled the rest of the band. At first, all the musicians played in city strip bars as part of other groups. They often had to play on the same stages, warming up for each other. And so gradually a company of the three above-mentioned people came together and decided to create new group, with a new, unprecedented sound, with enormous energy and unusual appearance. After much rehearsal and perfecting the music, Slipknot released their debut album in 1997, entitled Mate, Feed, Kill, Repeat. Due to the lack of funding, the album was released in small quantities, but nevertheless, it did what was required of it - attracted the attention of producers. Record labels began to follow the group, and when an offer for cooperation was made by Ross Robinson himself from Roadrunner Records, who produced Ko. Rn and Limp Bizkit, Slipknot immediately agreed. Ross came to one of the team's rehearsals, and then to their concert.

Sid Wilson - DJ Sid Wilson - American musician, member of the musical groups Slipknot and AMPT. He is also busy with his solo project Dj Star. Scream, which plays electronic music.

Joey Jordison - drums Nathan Jonas Jordison (born April 26, 1975 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American drummer and guitarist. He is the drummer for the metal band Slipknot.

Paul Gray - bass Paul Gray (April 8, 1972, Los Angeles, California, USA - May 24, 2010, Urbandale, Iowa, USA) - musician, known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the band Slipknot. Paul Gray was a co-founder of Slipknot along with Sean Crahan and Anders Colzefini. Paul, like all members of the group, had his own serial number - 2. Paul also wore a pig or beaver mask during the group’s performances.

Chris Fehn - percussion Chris Fehn is a musician, known as a percussionist and backing vocalist for the band Sli. Chris is the main percussionist and the funniest member of the group. Rolling Stone magazine named him the most handsome party groups. pknot.

James Root - guitar James Root is a musician, guitarist for the American bands Slipknot and Stone Sour. As a child, James grew up hardly seeing his parents, as they worked 24 hours a day. James was often alone at home. He had no role models other than his friends. He received his first guitar from his mother at the age of 13.

Craig Jones – sampling (keyboardist) Craig Jones is an American musician, member of the band Slipknot. Before Slipknot, he worked in a warehouse and drove a forklift. He also played guitar in thrash metal bands before joining Slipknot. Before Slipknot, he played in the band Modifidious, like Joey Jordison and Shawn Crahan.

Shawn Crahan - percussion Shawn Crahan, (eng. Michael Shawn Crahan) is a musician, best known as the percussionist for the band Slipknot. He can also be heard as a drummer in the bands To My Surprise and Dirty Little Rabbits.

Mick Thomson - guitar Mick Thomson is an American musician, guitarist of the alternative metal band Slipknot. Mick Thomson joined Slipknot in April 1996. He replaced then-guitarist Craig, who decided to become the band's keyboardist and sampler, as he was the only one who could do it. He joined the group shortly before the release of Slipknot's debut album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. , Mick didn't write a single riff for this record.

Corey Taylor - vocals Corey Todd Taylor is the frontman and vocalist of the American band Slipknot, founder and vocalist of the band Stone Sour, manager of the Des Moines band Facecage and owner of the recording studio Great Big Mouth Records. Was also a member The group Rejects on one show on Safari, August 22, 1998, after which he was fired. He sang on the Sister Soliel album and recorded 4 tracks with Josh Rand.

Slipknot American band, which defines its own playing style as “new metal”. The albums of this group repeatedly went platinum both in their native United States and in other countries, and the compositions “Duality”, “Wait and Bleed”, “Psychosocial”, “Snuff” were sung even by those who did not know English language. And although the peak of the group’s popularity is behind us, it is possible that the hot American guys will still have time to return to the top of the charts with new songs.

Compound

It all started in 1992, when two friends - Sean Crahan and Anders Colsefni - were discussing musical preferences and eventually decided to create own group. The main thing, as it seemed to young people at that time, was the abundance of percussion in the music. Sean himself was excellent on the drums, Anders took the role of vocalist and percussionist.

The bass player was also quickly found among friends - the musician's name was Paul Gray. This “preliminary” composition of the future popular group chose the name "Heads On The Wall". The musicians even held several rehearsals, but soon Sean Crahan had some difficulties, and the music faded into the background.

In 1995, friends remembered their dreams of fame and fans and tried to revive the group. This time, several more musicians joined the band: drummer Joey Jordison, lead guitarist Donnie Stilley and rhythm guitarist named Kan Nong. A year later, the last two leave the group. Their place was taken by Craig Jones and Josh Brainard. Mick Thomson also joined the team. With this composition, the musicians began work on the first record.

Around the same time, the current name of the group appeared - “Slipknot”, which is translated into Russian as “noose” or “noose”. The musicians also came up with their own unique style - the team members performed in terrifying masks, and Anders Colsefni even wrapped his face in duct tape at first. A year later, he joined the team, captivating the participants with his clean vocals, as well as Chris Fehn and DJ Sid Wilson, who preferred an ordinary gas mask to masks.

Music

Slipknot's first album, Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat., was released in 1996. The team, true to their image, presented the record on October 31st, Halloween. The first edition of the album was only 1000 discs, and even those were not completely sold out: the musicians simply gave away the bulk to friends and acquaintances. It became obvious that without an intelligent producer it would be very difficult to get on stage.

Ross Robinson became such a producer for Slipknot, after the first audition he saw serious potential in the musicians. A year later, in 1998, the group (with new guitarist James Root) signed a coveted contract with a recording studio.

In 1999, the renewed band released their second album, which was called “Slipknot”. This album was, by and large, an introduction to the public. The producer’s efforts were not in vain, and the record sold out in huge quantities in a short time.

Immediately after the release of the album, Slipknot began giving concerts. By that time, the musicians had revised the image of the group: the masks became of better quality and more intimidating. In addition, the team began to perform in overalls of the same cut, but in different colors.

Everything together looked really impressive, and together with high-quality music it created the effect of a real professional show. It's no surprise that Slipknot's fan base grew with each performance.

The early 2000s became not only a time of triumph for the participants, but also a period of first conflicts. The fallen fame required constant concerts and performances. It was necessary to record the next album and constantly rehearse. The musicians, unprepared for such stress, began to quarrel: fatigue made itself felt.

Fortunately, the group “Slipknot” overcame this first test without losses, and soon the album “Iowa” was released, remembered for the compositions “The Heretic Anthem”, “Left Behind”, “My Plague”. The last song even became the soundtrack to the film directed by “Resident Evil” with Eric Mabius.

After the release of the album, Slipknot went on tour, and then disappeared from the sight of journalists and fans for some time. Rumors even appeared in the press about the collapse of the team. These speculations were fueled by statements from lead singer Corey Taylor that he regretted the day he met the rest of the band. However, in reality, the musicians simply took a time out to take a break from each other and also to work on their own projects.

In 2004, the long-awaited album was finally released, and it immediately became clear that the rest was only beneficial for the team. This record became real finest hour“Slipknot”, and the compositions “Vermilion”, “Duality” and “Before I Forget” have already become classics of world “metal” music. For the last composition, the team received a Grammy Award for the best performance of a song in this genre.

The next album was released four years later - in 2008. The album was called “All Hope Is Gone”. This album instantly soared to the top of all charts and sales rankings. And the traditional tour, organized immediately after the release of the record, lasted for a year and still remains the longest tour in the history of the Slipknot group.

In the spring of 2010, fans of the band were shocked by the news of the death of the band's bassist Paul Gray. As it turned out later, the musician died due to a drug overdose. And in 2013, the composition of Slipknot was reduced again.

This time drummer Joey Jordison left the group. Jordison's departure gave rise to many rumors, but the musicians themselves kept the reasons for it a secret for a long time. Only after some time it became clear that Joey was forced to leave music due to a serious illness - transverse myelitis.

Despite such unfortunate events, the group continued to collect material for the next album, and in 2014 the album “.5: The Gray Chapter” was presented to listeners. This album was recorded with new team members - bass guitarist Alessandro Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg.

The release of new songs was accompanied by the premiere of a video for the song “The Negative One,” which later received a Grammy nomination. However, this time the group did not receive the coveted award.

The traditional “post-album” tour ended with the usual announcement by the musicians that they were going on sabbatical until 2017.

Slipknot now

The group failed to keep the promises made in 2015. First, reports appeared on the Internet that the release of the new album was postponed to 2018. And recently in an interview Corey Taylor, the band's lead singer, said that there is no need to wait new record before 2019. Corey also hinted that the songs on this album will be "dark, really dark" and largely autobiographical.

However, work on the album has already begun, and now the musicians are gradually recording new material. For now, fans can only follow the news about the life of the band “Slipknot” in "Instagram" and other social networks, where fans periodically post new photos and notes about their idols.

Discography

• 1996 - “Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat.”
• 1997 - "Crowz"
• 1999 - "Slipknot"
• 2001 - "Iowa"
• 2004 - “Vol. 3"
• 2008 - “All Hope Is Gone”
• 2014 - “.5: The Gray Chapter”

Clips

• "Vermillion Pt. 2"
• "Psychosocial"
• "Duality"
• "Before I Forget"
• "My Plague"
• "Dead Memories"
• "Wait and Bleed"
• "The Devil In"
• "The Negative One"

Early History 1991-1995
In one of winter days At the beginning of 1992 in Des Moines (USA), Anders Colzefini was helping his friend, welder Sean Crahan, with some welding work and, after talking, decided to form a group with him. Sean and Anders were drummers and they decided that their band would have an amazing percussion sound. And according to their idea in future group there must be 3 drummers. A little later, welder Sean called his friend Paul Gray and the future bassist of the group in Los Angeles and asked if he wanted to play in the group. He agreed.

The minimum composition of the group was recruited. In 1992, the band released their first five songs: "Idiot", "What's Wrong", "Wise up", "Gently" and "Slipknot". There was a lot of percussion in these songs and it attracted the listener's attention as much as the guitar in many other metal bands. In his singing style, Anders tried to imitate Max Cavalier from Sepultura (now in Soulfly). There were approximately two versions of each song back then. But in 1993, Sean had other worries, and the project was forgotten.

Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat(1995-1999)

In 1995, Paul, Sean and Anders decided to rebuild their group.

In January, guitarist Donnie Steely from Paul's death metal band Body Pit joined the band. He took the place of the solo guitar, and the rhythm section of the guitar was taken over by Kwan Nong, who came from the group Heads on the Wall. Already in February, Kwan Nong left the team.

Soon Sean got tired of being the lead drummer, and in May 1995 he took Joey Jordison into the group. Joey was the band's lead drummer, and Sean decided to create some interesting percussion and crackling sounds. He took advantage of his profession as a welder and welded his own small drums.

Also joining the band in September was rhythm guitarist Josh Brainard from Modifidious. At the very beginning of its existence, the group rehearsed in Anders' basement. The musicians played their songs in the soundproof Pet Crooming Center. Animals with bladder problems were kept there, so everything stank of animal urine. The basement was very small and not convenient for musicians. Slipknot performed for the first time at The Love Shack (formerly called The Crowbar) under the name Pyg System and without masks. This performance took place in November 1995. Around the same time, the group renamed itself “Slipknot” (Russian - noose). And then they decided to perform in masks.

Slipknot have done a great job developing the music, the lyrics, and the concept of the band. When the music and everything else was ready, all visits to them at rehearsals stopped. They even forbade their girls from coming to them. It even became part of their philosophy. No one was supposed to know what was going on within the group.

The group began preparing material for their first demo disc and, of course, simultaneously performed in clubs in Des Moines. Slipknot often performed in clubs and also in strip bars, but many people did not like what Slipknot played, they called them suckers and the public was very cool towards them, and this attitude was often negative. But they still continued to push in their direction. In such cases, right from the stage, the musicians said: “Choke, bitches. Get the hell out of there,” and gradually, with such pressure, they trampled their way.

By 1996, the gang had enough material to record a demo disc. The album was released on Halloween, October 31, 1996, and was titled Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat. By the time the album was recorded, two new members had joined the group - sampler Craig Jones and guitarist Mick Thompson, replacing the departed Donnie Steely. The album came out very experimental, one might even say too experimental. As the musicians themselves said later: “We didn’t play music, but a salad of music.”

By that time, the members of Slipknot realized that they had rushed to record the demo disc and decided to record a new CD consisting of old, but remade songs and some new ones. The album was given the name “Crowz”. While preparing the album, the band members met Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor. Sean, Joey and Mick helped him get a job at the sex shop The Adult Emporium. Corey worked there for three years before becoming a musician.

In May 1997, they invited Corey to be the second vocalist in Slipknot and he accepted.

The band members liked the vocals of the second vocalist Corey so much that they suggested that Anders give up his place as a vocalist and take the place of a backing vocalist and backing drummer. Anders was very offended, but sang several songs with Corey as a backing vocalist. At one concert in June, he publicly turned around and left, performing the song Heartache Pair of Scissors as a final performance.

And the group found itself backed into a corner, because the guys had to re-record all their old songs recorded with Anders. And if we take into account the fact that Anders had a rough voice and constantly practiced growling, and Corey had previously always sung clean vocals, then the group had a very difficult time.

Soon the group refused to wear regular clothes at concerts and switched to their “uniform”. Musicians began to wear overalls.

In September 1997, Greg Welts joined the group as the third percussionist. He replaced Anders' percussion and sang along a little growling instead of Anders. Greg Welts didn't stay long and left the band in June 1998 to work at his tattoo shop in South Dakota called The Ultimate Prick. He was replaced by Brandon Darner. But he also quickly left and was replaced by Chris Fehn in August 1998.

Crowz was scheduled to be released on October 31, 1997, exactly one year after Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat was released. But this did not happen. After many re-recordings and changing half of the band's lineup, the guys decided not to release the record yet.

In October 1998, Sid Wilson joined the group as a DJ.

Slipknot (1999–2001)

In 1999, the group finally signed a contract with record company Roadrunner Records and recorded his debut self-titled album under the direction of producer Ross Robinson. During the recording of the disc, guitarist Josh Brainard left the band and was replaced former member Corey Taylor's band Stone Sour, guitarist James Root.

The band began promoting their album with Ozzfest, which lasted from May to July 1999. At the festival, Slipknot filmed their first Home Video - Welcome to Our Neighborhood.

And from July to December the group played on the Livin La Vida Loco Tour 1999. The tour traveled across America and touched a little on Canada where they played a couple of concerts. Then Slipknot held the World Domination Tour, which lasted from December 1999 to July 2000. The tour took place in countries around the world.

During this time, the disc sold more than 1,000,000 copies, and the band immediately stood on par with the most famous metal bands. According to Roadrunner Records, this album is the most best entry throughout the history of their company.

The popularity of the group was expanded by publications in the rock press: “Metal Hammer”, “ Classic Rock", "Alternative Press", "Circus", "Guitar World", "Hit Parader", "Kerrang!", "MetalManiacs", "Rolling Stone" and "Spin".

Iowa (2001–2004)

After playing a concert tour, the group rested for two months and went into the studio to record their second album. The recording period lasted from January to March with only four free days. In April 2001, the song "The Heretic Anthem" was played at a press conference to reflect the change. musical direction bands towards death metal.

In the summer of 2001, the group pleased all its fans with its second studio album under called Iowa. The band's music became noticeably heavier and leaned closer to death metal. The disc immediately debuted in third place on Billboard and first in the English charts, despite its heaviness. To support the album, the band staged the Pledge Of Allegiance world tour, which lasted approximately 1.5 years.

In August, the band starred in the film Rollerball, which showed Slipknot performing on stage with the song "I Am Hated", which was included in the soundtrack to this film.

In November the band released a DVD entitled Disasterpieces.

After the tours, the band members suddenly fled to side projects. Almost every participant began to play in some other group. The band's vocalist Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root were involved in the successful hard rock project Stone Sour, drummer Joey Jordison played in Murderdolls, percussionist Sean Crahan played in To My Surprise, DJ Sid Wilson played in solo project under the pseudonym DJ Starscream.

There was a lull, many fans did not even hope to hear Slipknot again, thinking that the group had broken up.

In March 2003, Corey Taylor, flushed with the success of his side project Stone Sour, said in an interview with Belgian magazine Aardschok that meeting Shawn Crahan was the worst thing in his life, and Slipknot the worst thing in the history of mankind.

Also in another interview, Corey said that over the past six months, besides Jim, he had spoken with only one member of the group. Corey said that Slipknot would release another album, tour and go their separate ways. He said that the group is no longer relevant:

Staying on stage after becoming irrelevant? I will never, ever allow something like this to happen to a group for which I bled and was almost blind in one eye (I once had an iron bar thrown at Corey and hit him in the eye), not to mention the loss of my voice.

This provoked many rumors regarding the breakup of the group. However, in reality the situation turned out to be simpler: the fact is that the team parted ways with their managers from the production company No Name Management, and the producers did not fail to predict the project’s imminent death without their paternal supervision.

However, the group believed that they were quite capable of handling the situation. They announced that they are working on their new album, and their European tour begins on May 17th. On this occasion, Shawn Crahan said: “This is practically the second coming, and it will be extremely, simply extremely brutal. There is no release date yet, but we will keep you posted."

Corey also said on the radio station Lazer 103.3 the following: “We are not breaking up! For whatever reasons, we had to accept some management decisions, and we are not going to break up. We're looking for new managers and we're going to be recording a new album soon, so calm down!"

But literally half a month later, the release of the new album was postponed from August 2003 to 2004, and the tour was cancelled. They also announced that they had found a new producer, it turned out to be Rick Rubin (known for his work with Slayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down, Beastie Boys).

At the end of June, Corey stated that “The band is currently recording an album between tours. New album will be recorded by the end of 2003, after which we will give a huge tour around the world"

In July, Jim Root spoke about the recording of the new album:

Many people say that the album coincides with the time and type of Iowa recording, but in fact this is not the case at all. We've already recorded 13 songs that are really heavy and have a lot of drums and percussion. But that is not all. After we get back together in Augusta, we plan to record 10 more songs. The length of the album will be approximately the same as our first one, but who knows what edition it will finally be under?... 4 or 5 months ago I did not want to return to the group, I began to feel depressed at the mere thought of returning to the group to create a new record ...Probably because... Iowa was not a good experience for me... This is my least favorite album. But now I have come out of this state, now I am back in the group and I don’t have such a state when watching DVDs. And I can see with satisfaction that everything we did was really good.

Corey also gave an interview: “Okay, now the time has come again when I have to leave my family and hometown in order to prepare a new, third installment in the Slipknot saga. I'm looking forward to the next Slipknot album. A lot had to change, but the material on the album is simply killer."

Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (2004–2005)

After the tours, the band members suddenly fled to side projects. Almost every participant began to play in some other group. There was a lull, many fans did not even hope to hear Slipknot again, thinking that the group had broken up. But in 2004, the band members gathered again to record their new album.

The third was released in the summer of 2004 studio album groups Vol.3. The disc disappointed some of the band's old fans; slow acoustic songs appeared on the disc, and the sound became noticeably lighter. But the members of Slipknot claim that this is the best record they have ever released.

On November 1, 2005, the group released their first album, 9.0: Live. At the same time, Slipknot are finishing their nearly two-year tour in support of Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses. At the end of 2005, a special version of the album Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses containing a second CD with eight new compositions. Just like after the release of Iowa, the team members immediately went off to side projects.

All Hope Is Gone (2008–2009)

On August 20, 2008, Slipknot's fourth studio album, All Hope is Gone, was released. The album was written under the supervision of the band's new producer Dave Fortman (known for his work with Mudvayne, Evanescence) in Jamaica, Iowa. The disc was mixed by Colin Richardson (known for his work with Machine Head, Fear Factory, Napalm Death).

In June 2008, the group delighted fans new song"All Hope is Gone" And on July 1, the first single from the album, the song “Psychosocial,” went on sale.

On Saturday, July 19 at 7:00 Moscow time, the first video from the upcoming album, Psychosocial, premiered on MTV USA. The clip debuted on the FNMTV Premiers program and Corey, Sean and Joey made a special appearance.

In July and August the band played at the Mayhem festival across North America. At the very first concert, DJ Sid Wilson managed to break both heels and jumped off the percussion. According to Clown, after the end of the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour, Slipknot will return to the US only in the winter-spring of 2009, which means that American fans will not hear their new songs live until then. The band was unable to play the fall festival circuit due to drummer Joey's ankle injury. On October 8, the band began their world tour in support of the album, with the first concert taking place in Nagoya, Japan. On October 25, a video for the group’s new single, “Dead Memories,” is released. On November 5, an event took place that Slipknot was waiting for no less than their fans - a concert in Moscow.

On December 1, the second single, “Dead Memories,” was released. Slipknot received a 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance for the song Psychosocial. On December 15, the group completes the first leg of their tour. On January 23, a new stage begins - All Hope Is Gone tour 2009.

The band plans to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of their first self-titled album this summer by dressing up in old jumpsuits and masks and performing only old tracks. Additionally, Corey Taylor promised something different for fans on September 9, 2009 (09/09/09).

Slipknot– this is not just another musical group that decided to play music in the nu-metal style. Their performance style, unusual image, energizing, impressive aggressive shows won the hearts of the Slipknot members huge amount fans all over the world. You can love their music, you can hate it, but it will definitely not leave you indifferent. But before they became famous, great and terrible, Slipknot took many steps.

How it all began

It is believed that the first attempts to create a group known to us as Slipknot were made back in 1992 by today's Ex-vocalist of Slipknot Anders Colzefini And Sean Crahan, who at that time were doing welding work together. However, the group acquired its current name “Slipknot” only in 1995 in the small town of Des Moines, located in Iowa in the USA. It was under it that their first performance took place in a club at that time called “The Love Shack”, immediately after which the band members agreed to perform in masks. That is why the official date of formation of Slipknot is considered to be 1995.

Initially the band consisted of only 3 people: drummers Anders and Sean and Paul Gray, the future bassist of the group. Gradually, the group increased to 9 people, each of whom was assigned his own number.

Madness, cheap bars and constant lineup changes

The group's first performances took place in basements, cheap clubs and strip bars. Since its creation, its participants have agreed on some rules. They decided to play only the music they want and only the way they like it. It is not surprising that the first performances attracted a lot of negative statements about the group. However, this did not stop its participants. They worked hard and a lot, prohibiting their friends and relatives from attending the group's rehearsals. Gradually Slipknot managed to record "Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat", his first demo CD, released in 1996 and released in limited edition.

Soon after this, in 1997, the musicians planned to release a new second album called Crowz, which was supposed to include a lot of updated old songs and some new compositions. However, just at this time serious changes were taking place in the group. In fact, almost half of the group's composition has changed. Guest as second vocalist Corey Taylor, at that time part of , in 1997, at the instigation of the remaining members of Slipknot, replaced Anders as a backing vocalist. This state of affairs could not help but anger Anders, who publicly left the group at one of the concerts after performing a song called “Heartache Pair of Scissors.” As a result, the Crowz album was never released. Instead, he saw the light of a disk "The Demo", which included several new compositions with Corey’s participation.

Since 1997 Slipknot acquired their own yet another recognizable “feature” of the group. They abandoned regular clothing during their performances, replacing it with overalls. The first of them were red, but gradually the colors changed from blue and white to gold.

With all the changes in the group, even despite her professional growth, it was difficult for her to find a producer to record a real debut album. However, this problem was soon resolved.

From an ordinary small-town band to one of music's fastest-selling products, 1999 brought Slipknot's first real success. Just this year Ross Robinson, label producer Roadrunner Records, watched the band's demo. The music impressed him so much that he personally attended one of the group’s rehearsals. Under the leadership of Ross Robinson, Slipknot recorded its debut, in support of which the group performed on a number of concert tours, one of which was the “World Domination Tour”, which took place around the world. Thanks to this and competent promotion, Slipknot became one of the most recognizable bands in the world promoting heavy metal music, and their disc sold more than two million copies in the United States alone.

The beginning of prosperity or the beginning of the end?

After the successful release of the album “Slipknot” in 2001, the group released another album -. The disc came out mixed. Fans noted that the music had become heavier, but this fact did not diminish the popularity of the group. Moreover, the album immediately debuted in first place in the English charts and took third position in Billboard.

After several tours at the end of 2001, it seemed that the band had gone into a lull. The participants’ “sabbatical” pretty much frightened the group’s fans. Many were sure that after such an enchanting start, Slipknot would simply cease to exist. Such rumors were not denied by the band members, most of whom given time were involved in various third-party projects. So, Corey Taylor and Slipknot guitarist worked on the band that is successful today Stone Sour, A Joey Jordison, drummer for Slipknot, played in the beloved band Korn. Corey fueled many of the Slipknot breakup rumors by calling the band "irrelevant" in an interview. However, he was the first to dispel all the rumors, announcing at the end of 2003 that he was preparing a new album together with the group’s new producer Rick Rubin.

The new studio album, released under the title, was unexpected for the band's old fans. Some of them were disappointed that the music had become lighter and melodic slow acoustic songs appeared. In support of the album, an almost two-year tour was carried out, after which at the end of 2005 the group disappeared from the stage again, and its members again went their separate ways. third party projects. As it became known at that time, the group members did not maintain any relationship with each other. The exception was Corey Taylor And James Root who worked on project Stone Sour.

All Hope is Gone??

The band's fourth album with a rather sad name, which appeared in 2008, not only restored Slipknot fans' hope for the band's return, but also really marked a new period in its development. The album was released under the direction of a new producer Dave Fortman, known for his work with the band Evanescence and Colin Richardson. With the new album, Slipknot managed to win first place on the chart known as Billboard Top 200. With the new album, the band gave exclusive performances specially for MTV Europe, as well as Virgin TV, and went on a European tour.

The blow to the group was sudden death bassist, one of the founders of the group, 38 years old Paul Gray in 2010 year.

In 2012, Slipknot released a compilation of their greatest hits in album "Antennas to Hell".

5th studio album is already in development

At the end of 2013 Corey stated that the band's fifth studio album should soon be released, for the release of which almost everything is already ready. The main work on the disc is scheduled for March 2014. Therefore, it is too early for Slipknot fans to write off the group. Despite all the shocks and lineup changes, the group survived and very soon will definitely surprise with new hits and new unique show performances.