Arguably the biggest metal band in the world, Slipknot is the subject of our current series. Episode 2 of 4 picks up the band following the release of their game-changing debut, from Ozzfest side-stage opener to headlining over legends in just a year, followed by the release of their second album, Iowa (Roadrunner Records).
Kicking off a new series on arguably the biggest metal band in the world Slipknot! Episode 1 of 4 takes the band from their formation out of the mire of the Iowa metal and rock scene in the early 1990s, forming the “classic” line-up, working with Ross Robinson signing with Roadrunner Records , comparisons to Mushroomhead, to releasing the the epic debut album in 1999!
Entering DTE Energy Music Theatre was like walking into a theme park. There is a reason why it was rated first in the world for Pollstar’s 2019 year’s end rankings. Last weekend an army of black shirts with dyed hair walked through the outdoor amphitheater’s large gates. The late afternoon was pregnant with the infancy of Autumn which carried a refreshing crispness in the air. The tingly weather placed the multitude of concert goers in a rambunctious mood. The well-groomed music venue is accompanied with exceptional landscaping and pretty restaurants that set a peaceful tone which would be greatly contradicted with the night of mayhem ahead. Slipknot was in town, and they brought the Knotfest Roadshow with them.
According to a poll on the Music Radar website, Slipknot’s Jim Root and Mick Thomson have been named “Best Metal Guitarists In The World.” The pair received over 17,000 votes, beating out such names as James Hetfield (Metallica); James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch (Korn); Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg (Amon Amarth); Richard Z.Kruspe and Paul Landers (Rammstein); Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa, Sean Long and Mat Welsh (While She Sleeps); Kerry King and Gary Holt (Slayer); Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage); and Alexi Laiho and Daniel Freyberg (Children Of Bodom) in a vote by fans of the site. Slipknot’s new album We Are Not Your Kind released on August 9th via Roadrunner Records/Elecktra. Continue reading
With everything Slipknot has been through in the last few years, you’d have thought they would have explored enough darkness and misery to last a lifetime, wanting to escape the cold expanse of unrelenting blackness with a renewed sense of optimism.
Slipknot, by Evil Robb Photography
In a new interview with M. Shawn Crahan of Slipknot, he revealed that ten years ago he, Corey Taylor, Jim Root, and DJ Sid Wilson collaborated and recorded a stand-alone side project, while the band was recording All Hope Is Gone (Roadrunner). Not it seems this album will the light of day, since prior to now “it wasn’t the right time”. One of the tracks intended for the Slipknot members’ side project was ‘Til We Die,’ featured on the digipak release of All Hope Is Gone.Continue reading
It seems most bizarre to think that a beast as all-conquering of the metal world as Slipknot had yet to take their larger-than-life stage show into Mexico City at any point in their twenty-year existence. Yet, until December 2015, and the .5 – The Grey Chapter’s incarnation of Knotfest, that particular duck had yet to broken. Continue reading
It’s not often that a side project from an acclaimed band can stand on par with said original group. After all, a lot of sidebands become the vacation parent to fans; as a stop-gap measure for artists to toss eager followers a bone in between releases. However, that is not true of Stone Sour, launched in the shadows of Slipknot, and for over fifteen years has slowly ascended to the hard rock pantheon on their own merits. In fact, on their new album Hydrograd (Roadrunner), the band has put out an album that actually surpasses a few Slipknot releases outright. Continue reading
The 2016 Epiphone Revolver Music Awards had performances by Stitched Up Heart, Lacuna Coil, Anthrax and Megadeth, plus a ‘Fallen Heroes All-Star Jam‘ featuring Ace Frehley and Bumblefoot with members of Megadeth, Slipknot, Pop Evil, Annihilator, Mutoid Man, Butcher Babies, and Red Sun Rising. Continue reading
