Slipknot

Slipknot

Slipknot is a metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1995. Slipknot consists of nine members, the current band members are Sid Wilson, Joey Jordison, Paul Gray, Chris Fehn, Jim Root, Craig Jones, Shawn Crahan, Mick Thomson, and Corey Taylor. Each member of the band wears a mask.

History

Slipknot was formed by vocalist and percussionist Anders Colsefini, guitarists Donnie Steele and Josh "Gnar" Brainard, bassist Paul Gray, drummer Joey Jordison and percussionist Shawn Crahan. Since its inception in 1995, the band has gone through multiple line-up changes, all occurring before the release of their debut album Slipknot, in 1999. The band is known for its large line-up, which consists of nine members; including a vocalist, two guitarists, a bassist, two percussionists in addition to a primary drummer, a sampler, and a turntablist.

Death of Paul Gray

On May 24, 2010, bassist Paul Gray was found dead in a hotel room in Urbandale, Iowa. Circumstances surrounding his death at the time of it were not immediately known, though an autopsy suspected no foul play or trauma was involved. The Polk County medical examiner is currently awaiting the results of a toxicology test, which is expected to be available in late June, before confirming the cause of his death.

Current members

Corey Taylor (#8)

Active: 1997–present

Instruments: lead vocals

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases from Slipknot Demo (1998) to present

Taylor struggled to accomplish. The initial idea was to have the vocalists share duties, however it was decided that Taylor would take over the majority of the vocals and Colsefini was moved to backing vocals.

Mick Thomson (#7)

Active: 1996–present

Instruments: guitar

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases from Slipknot Demo (1998) to present

Shortly after Craig Jones entered the band as a guitarist it was decided that he would move to samples, Thomson was brought in to fill the position on guitar and has remained in the line-up since.

James Root (#4)

Active: 1999–present

Instruments: guitar

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases from Slipknot (1999) to present

Jim Root joined the band in 1999 towards the end of the recording process of Slipknot. He was brought in as a guitarist following Josh Brainard's departure and is the last member of the band's current line-up to have joined.

Paul Gray (#2)

Active: 1995–2010 (deceased)

Instruments: bass, backing vocals

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases

Paul Gray was a member of the original band formed in 1995.

Joey Jordison (#1)

Active: 1995–present

Instruments: drums

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases

Joey Jordison was a member of the original band formed in 1995.

Shawn Crahan (#6)

Active: 1995–present

Instruments: custom percussion, backing vocals

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases

Shawn Crahan was a member of the original band formed in 1995 and was initially the sole drummer for a short period of time.

Chris Fehn (#3)

Active: 1998–present

Instruments: custom percussion, backing vocals

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases from Slipknot (1999) to present

Following the departure of Greg Welts, Chris Fehn was brought in to fill the position left on percussion and backing vocals. Previously Fehn had asked the band if he could roadie for the band, reportedly Fehn's initiation was said to have resembled the vetting process from the film Fight Club. However after a month of "[seeing] if he would fit into Slipknot", Fehn joined and has remained in the line-up since.

Craig Jones (#5)

Active: 1996–present

Instruments: samples, media, guitars

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases from Slipknot Demo (1998) to present

Craig Jones was first brought in to the band to fill the spot on guitar after Donnie Steele's departure.It occurred to Joey Jordison that they were incorporating an increasing amount of samples in their recordings and couldn't produce them live, as a result Jones moved to full-time sampler.

Sid Wilson (#0)

Active: 1998–present

Instruments: turntables

Release contributions: all Slipknot releases from Slipknot Demo (1998) to present

The band were interested in adding a DJ to their line-up but were reluctant because they didn't know any that they considered good enough. After seeing the band live, Sid Wilson proclaims "I knew I was born to be in this band." Wilson contacted the band to show his interest in joining the band. After attending rehearsals and an incident before a show in which he head-butted all the band members he was considered "Slipknot material" and has remained in the line-up since.

Former members

Donnie Steele

Active: 1995–1996

Instruments: guitar

Release contributions: Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996)

Donnie Steele was a member of the original band formed in 1995. In February 1996, during the mixing process of Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat., Steele decided to leave the band. Steele was a "devout Christian" and realized that the band was no longer a project he could be a part of.

Anders Colsefini

Active: 1995–1997

Instruments: lead vocals, custom percussion, backing vocals

Release contributions: Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996)

Anders Colsefini was a member of the original band formed in 1995. In 1997, Corey Taylor joined the band to share the lead vocalist position. However it was decided that Taylor would replace Colsefini and he was subsequently moved to backing vocals.

Greg Welts (#3)

Active: 1997–1998

Instruments: custom percussion, backing vocals

Release contributions: Slipknot Demo (1998)

After the departure of Colsefini, Greg Welts was recruited to fill the spot left on percussion and backing vocals. In 1998, prior to the band signing with Roadrunner Records, Welts was asked to leave the band becoming the only band member to be ultimately fired from the band. The reason is because he was dating Jordison's sister which caused problems.

Josh Brainard (#4)

Active: 1995–1999

Instruments: guitar

Release contributions: Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996), Slipknot Demo (1998), Slipknot (1999)

Josh Brainard was a member of the original band formed in 1995. Brainard left the band during the recording stages of Slipknot in 1999. The reasons for his departure are unclear, it was widely thought to have been because of family constraints however Brainard dispels these rumours, explaining that; "some decisions were made that I wasn't particularly happy with."

Discography

• Slipknot (1999)
• Iowa (2001)
• Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) (2004)
• All Hope Is Gone (2008)
• Death Calls (2010)

Behind the Masked?

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. 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.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". Burger King responded to the suit with a countersuit, and in that suit pointed out that many other bands, such as Mushroomhead, Mudvayne, Kiss, Insane Clown Posse and Gwar have used masks as part of their image, although after private discussions the advertising campaign was dropped.