Slipknot

Slipknot’s masked nine-member presentation and ferocious live performances made the Des Moines, Iowa band one of metal’s most immediately recognizable acts at the turn of the millennium. Formed in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, vocalist Anders Colsefni and bassist Paul Gray, the group paired an aggressive, percussion-heavy sound with an image built around individual masks, numbered uniforms and chaotic stage shows.

After early lineup changes, Slipknot settled into the nine-person configuration that defined its breakthrough period: Crahan, Gray, drummer Joey Jordison, sampler player Craig Jones, guitarist Mick Thomson, vocalist Corey Taylor, turntablist Sid Wilson, percussionist Chris Fehn and guitarist Jim Root. The independently released demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. did not break through, but the band quickly rose to wider prominence with its 1999 self-titled studio debut. Its 2001 follow-up, Iowa, took an even darker and more brutal approach while expanding the band’s audience.

Following a hiatus, Slipknot returned with Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) in 2004, then released All Hope Is Gone in 2008. The latter debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. The group’s catalog also includes the live albums 9.0: Live and Day of the Gusano: Live in Mexico, the compilation Antennas to Hell, and five live DVDs. Slipknot has sold 30 million records worldwide, including more than 12 million in the United States.

Gray died on May 24, 2010. Donnie Steele handled bass from 2011 to 2014, and Jordison was dismissed in December 2013. During the recording of 2014’s .5: The Gray Chapter, Steele departed and Alessandro Venturella joined on bass, while Jay Weinberg took over drums. Fehn was dismissed in March 2019 and replaced by percussionist Michael Pfaff before the writing of We Are Not Your Kind, released on August 9, 2019. Slipknot followed it with The End, So Far on September 30, 2022.

The band parted ways with Jones and Weinberg in 2023; drummer Eloy Casagrande replaced Weinberg the following year. Wilson was dismissed in August 2026. Crahan remains Slipknot’s only current founding member.