Slipknot singer Corey Taylor knew his band was destined for greatness. He also knew that it wouldn't come easy.
"When we were starting out, we had all these strikes against us," he says. "We were from Iowa, there were nine of us, we wore masks, we wore coveralls, we played metal. Hard metal."
"It was tough getting people to come out to Des Moines," adds bassist Paul Gray. "I don't know why, it's a pretty cool place. But A&R dudes -- jaded folks from Los Angeles or New York -- it's hard to get them to come to Iowa."
"And then there were all the haters," says Taylor.
Ah, the haters. The people who liked nothing more than to give the band flack for its look, for substituting numbers for names, for putting on a show full of over-the-top chaos and unmitigated mayhem. Some of the comments came from the usual assortment of web sites and so-called music critics. But, surprisingly, "we also took a lot of shit from other bands," says guitarist James Root. "When we hit the road with Ozzfest in 1999, I heard a lot of condescending remarks from other musicians. They were saying, 'Slipknot won't sell enough records, they won't survive, they've got too many people, nobody's gonna get it, they're all about image.' "
"The joke's on them," says Taylor with wicked glee. "Our music stood up. We're much more popular now and it wasn't because of our image. It was the music."
Now, most of the bands who turned slagging Slipknot into an extreme sport have fallen off the face of the earth. The 'Knot, on the other hand, have spent nearly a decade cementing their place as one of hard rock’s most extreme acts. They've dropped three albums and two DVDs, all of which went Platinum or better. They've sold out festivals and tours around the globe. And they are preparing to release their fourth record, All Hope Is Gone.
Slipknot -- which features DJ Sid Wilson (0), drummer Joey Jordison (1), Gray (2), percussionist Chris Fehn (3) Root (4), sampler Craig Jones - 133 (5), percussionist M. Shawn Crahan - Clown (6), guitarist Mick Thomson (7) and Taylor (8), -- is still heavy, still enamored of great, big walls of deeply textured layers of sound. But this time, they've approached their music with an eye towards stylistic expression that completely invalidates any and all comments about heavy metal clichés. Moreover, they've continued the exploration of melody that began on their first record.
Songs like "Sulfur" and "Psychosocial" deliver crushing verses and bridges, but then explode into soaring choruses that provide a powerful showcase for Taylor's voice. The song "Vendetta" features a sleazy, rough-and-tumble kind of swagger, but still delivers Slipknot's trademark balls-out fury. And "All Hope Is Gone" just spews raw anger, aggression, hate and foulness that serves as a reminder to anyone still stupid enough to harbor doubts that Slipknot are experts at delivering pure, heavy-metal punishment.
"It's our fourth album, and we wanted to do something different," says Gray. "You can't put out the same record over and over again. At the same time, you can definitely still tell that this is Slipknot."
"I'm looking forward to the expressions on people's faces when they hear the new record," says Taylor. "There's very, very heavy stuff on this album, and it's gonna blow people's minds. But I'm also excited for them to see the stuff that's different on this album, the more experimental music. No one's going to expect it."
Much of the album's diversity comes from the band's new approach to writing and recording. Over the years, most of the members have worked on various side projects, none of which sound remotely like Slipknot. It's no surprise to find out that these efforts influenced the writing process. Perhaps even more importantly, All Hope Is Gone was the first album on which contributions came from nearly all the band members, with each person bringing his own unique voice to the mix. The band co-produced the album with Dave Fortman.
"I think everyone just went in with an open mind. We would always listen to everyone's ideas, and if they worked, they worked, if they didn't, they didn't," explains Gray. "This time, we really tried to build off the ideas, really tried to work on them. I think it helped that so many of us were able to spend time doing our own thing, too. Just writing with different people really makes a difference in how you think about music. When we finally came together, we were able to bring that to the mix."
Slipknot also made the executive decision to abandon Los Angeles, where they had recorded previous records. Instead, they came back home and set up camp in Iowa. The differences were immediately apparent.
“It gave us more time and energy to experiment in the studio. I was able to come up with more guitar sounds than ever,” says Root.
While the heart of Slipknot remains its music, its soul is planted firmly on stage. Today, Slipknot are playing in sold-out arenas, but the band developed their talents by slogging it out in the Midwest, playing any show they could find. These were frequently one-off shows; the band would travel from their hometown of Des Moines to places like Omaha and Chicago. "There were never any actual tours in those days," says Thomson. "Our shows were like sporting events: We’d put everything into them and then afterwards, we'd be fucking exhausted. We weren't going to pile into a van -- all nine of us -- and then drive all night to the next show. We'd have fallen asleep at the wheel and died."
"Those early shows were rough, but I loved the small stage," says Gray. "There was something intimate about it. It was like an old-school punk show, which is what I grew up with."
"I don't miss that shit at all," disagrees Thomson. "It was 8,000 degrees, you're bumping into people, you're tripping over equipment. Those small stages have low ceilings, so the heat's trapped real low -- right at your head. Those shows are about survival, not about playing."
As difficult as those early shows were for the band, they were just as challenging for whoever might be standing in the front row.
"Shawn used to bring chop saws on stage to grind pipes for sparks," remembers Thomson. "Once, a chunk broke off and sent a kid to the hospital. But people who got hurt at our shows were cool about it -- we'd follow them to the hospital and sign some shirts and shit. It was like, you know, no harm, no foul."
"Everyone tried to control us, though," says Taylor.
"Yeah, those fuckers," says Thomson. "We'd be on tour and fire marshals would show up with camcorders and accuse us of all kinds of crazy bullshit. They'd say, 'We heard you set yourselves on fire.'
"Well... okay, we'd done that!" Thomson continues, laughing. "Sid and Clown would spray each other with lighter fluid and then they'd pull out lighters. That got us in trouble. One promoter would call the next -- they'd warn each other and they'd hit us with 'do not' lists. We were castrated."
Surviving for 10 years is an accomplishment for any band. With Slipknot, it feels like some sort of miracle. Personalities frequently collide, side-projects abound, and on-stage fights are common. And yet, year after year, album after album, all nine men keep coming back for more. "We're banded together in hate," says Jordison. "Sometimes we hate each other, sometimes we hate the world, sometimes we just hate our own lives. But when we get together, something monstrous happens and we pull this amazing sound out of all that energy.
"Plus," he adds, "we believe in world domination, and this is the band that's gonna get us there."
"You know, we went from being some local band in a basement to selling millions of records," says Gray. "It's going to be a decade since the first album came out. I'm so happy and amazed and proud and thankful for where this band has gone. I've gotten to see the world -- and I get paid for it! I'd have done it for free."
Chris Fehn agrees. "I think the best part about being in this band has been getting exposure to the rest of the world. You realize that everything in the world is the same -- people feel the same, they have the same desires, hopes, fears. Being worldly is a gift that I don't ever want to give back. It changes your life -- especially when you're from a small town in Iowa."
"I always knew we'd go far. I just knew it," says Taylor. "There was no way this band was going to fail. But I never knew we'd reach the heights we've come to. We've traveled the world so many times; all the different countries are like our second homes. To this day, it still blows me away that we took this crazy idea and made it a global sensation."
02/07/2009 - METAL HAMMER'S ALBUMS OF THE DECADE- SLIPKNOT'S VOL 3: (THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES) Metal Hammer are kicking off a series of album reviews of what they consider to be landmark albums of the past decade and this week ... 02/07/2009 - THE METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS FEAT. TRIVIUM AND DEVILDRIVER HITS SCREENS SATURDAY! As ever there were TV cams at this years Metal Hammer Golden God Awards and we just got word of when you will be able ... 02/07/2009 - RR UK BLOG UPDATE There is another blog update from the RR UK office that has just been posted for those of you who follow us there! Web Ed ... 01/07/2009 - SLIPKNOT'S SELF TITLED DEBUT CELEBRATES TENTH ANNIVERSARY June 29th saw the 10th Anniversary of the release of SLIPKNOT'S self titled debut album. The band have gone from strength to strength over the ... 01/07/2009 - KERRANG AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED PLUS KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ADORN THEIR COVER! It's well worth investing a few of your earth pounds in Kerrang magazine this week as our very own KILLSWITCH ENGAGE adorn th 30/06/2009 - CHECK OUT LIVE FOOTAGE OF KSE, SLIPKNOT AND DOWN FROM DOWNLOAD 09 Did you fancy re-living some of the best moments of the Download festival? Or did you not get to go and would like to check ... 23/06/2009 - SLIPKNOT LIVE @ DOWNLOAD- YOU MISS IT ON RADIO 1? FRET NOT... If you are like us lot in Metal Towers and have to be at work bright and early and could not sit up and listen ... 19/06/2009 - THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS AND MEDIA Owing to all of the RR staff being stuck in a field (AKA running around hooking up rucks of interviews before getting hideously drunk) last ... 19/06/2009 - WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- JON MILLER (DEVILDRIVER) When they were in the UK recently we sat down with Jon, bassist with Download pit-masters DEVILDRIVER and got him to shiffle his iPod and ... 19/06/2009 - BBC RADIO 1 TO BROADCAST SLIPKNOT'S FULL DOWNLOAD HEADLINE SET After a jaw – droppingly - incredible headline set in front of 80,000 + fans at this year’s Download Festival on Saturday 13th June, and ... 18/06/2009 - SCUZZ TV TO AIR THEIR DOWNLOAD COVERAGE JUNE 19TH SCUZZ TV set up camp at last weekends Download fest and spoke to / filmed over 60 bands over the course of the 3 days ... 17/06/2009 - ROADRUNNER TRIUMPHS AT THE METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GOD AWARDS Monday night saw the Metal Hammer Golden God Awards and thanks to you lovely people getting your votes in (THANK YOU!!!) Roadrunner Records made away ... 17/06/2009 - GET ROADRUNNER RELEASES FOR JUST £4.99 ON ITUNES In celebration of the plethora of bands that Roadrunner had play this years Download festival, iTunes are letting you download (see what we did there?!) ... 15/06/2009 - VOTE IN THIS YEARS KERRANG AWARDS Voting has opened up for this years KERRANG AWARDS! Has a Roadrunner album been the highlight of the past 12 months for you? Maybe 11/06/2009 - DOWNLOAD STAGE TIMES! PLUS SEE HOW YOU CAN GET THE BACKSTAGE GOSSIP!! It's almost time people!! Tomorrow DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2009 kicks off and this year, Roadrunner UK has a staggering ELEVEN bands on the bill, including the ... 10/06/2009 - GET £2 OFF ROADRUNNER RELEASES WITH OUR GOLDEN TICKET IN THIS MONTHS METAL HAMMER If you pick up the current issue of Metal Hammer (that will be the one with SLIPKNOT'S Mick Thomson on the cover), inside you wi 03/06/2009 - NEW COMPETITIONS- LINE 6 AMP AND CAB PLUS SLIPKNOT, DOWN AND DREAM THEATER GOODIES UP FOR GRABS!! It's definitely worth your while hitting the ROADRUNNER COMPETITIONS PAGE as we have some STONKING prizes up for grabs for June!! If you want to ... 03/06/2009 - EXTRA CAMPING TICKETS RELEASED FOR DOWNLOAD If you were one of those folks who had a ticket for DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL but had no camping sorted yet, you will be happy to ... 27/05/2009 - NEW VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH SLIPKNOT'S CLOWN POSTED ONLINE Check out the link below for a video interview with Watch Mojo. Here he talks about the band and how being Clown affects him, his ... 20/05/2009 - HEAVEN & HELL CONFIRM SONISPHERE APPEARANCE Continuing their run of festival dates through Europe, HEAVEN & HELL will make their way into the UK to play Sonisphere, which takes place August ... 01/07/2009SLIPKNOT'S SELF TITLED DEBUT CELEBRATES TENTH ANNIVERSARY June 29th saw the 10th Anniversary of the release of SLIPKNOT'S self titled debut album. The band have gone from strength to strength over the ... 01/07/2009KERRANG AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED PLUS KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ADORN THEIR COVER! It's well worth investing a few of your earth pounds in Kerrang magazine this week as our very own KILLSWITCH ENGAGE adorn th 30/06/2009CHECK OUT LIVE FOOTAGE OF KSE, SLIPKNOT AND DOWN FROM DOWNLOAD 09 Did you fancy re-living some of the best moments of the Download festival? Or did you not get to go and would like to check ... 02/07/2009THE METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS FEAT. TRIVIUM AND DEVILDRIVER HITS SCREENS SATURDAY! As ever there were TV cams at this years Metal Hammer Golden God Awards and we just got word of when you will be able ... 02/07/2009RR UK BLOG UPDATE There is another blog update from the RR UK office that has just been posted for those of you who follow us there! Web Ed ... 08/05/2009WIN A SET OF NEW JOEY JORDISON SIGNATURE STICKS SLIPKNOT'S Joey Jordison has a new endorsement deal with PROMARK and has even given his own BLOOD for the production of his new signa 02/07/2009METAL HAMMER'S ALBUMS OF THE DECADE- SLIPKNOT'S VOL 3: (THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES) Metal Hammer are kicking off a series of album reviews of what they consider to be landmark albums of the past decade and this week ... 05/12/2008SLIPKNOT ADORN THE COVER OF THIS WEEKS KERRANG! PLUS GONZO CHATS TO THEM ON MTV2 TONIGHT (05/12) SLIPKNOT this week grace the cover of the latest issue of KERRANG. Pick up your copy this week to venture behind the s 19/06/2009THIS WEEKS TOP NEWS AND MEDIA Owing to all of the RR staff being stuck in a field (AKA running around hooking up rucks of interviews before getting hideously drunk) last ... 18/06/2009SCUZZ TV TO AIR THEIR DOWNLOAD COVERAGE JUNE 19TH SCUZZ TV set up camp at last weekends Download fest and spoke to / filmed over 60 bands over the course of the 3 days ... 20/05/2009HEAVEN & HELL CONFIRM SONISPHERE APPEARANCE Continuing their run of festival dates through Europe, HEAVEN & HELL will make their way into the UK to play Sonisphere, which takes place August ... 19/06/2009WHAT'S ON YOUR IPOD- JON MILLER (DEVILDRIVER) When they were in the UK recently we sat down with Jon, bassist with Download pit-masters DEVILDRIVER and got him to shiffle his iPod and ... 13/05/2009NEW INTERVIEW WITH SLIPKNOT'S COREY TAYLOR POSTED BRAVEWORDS recently had a chat with SLIPKNOT'S Corey Taylor as the band embark on a tour of Canada in support of current album ALL 10/06/2009GET £2 OFF ROADRUNNER RELEASES WITH OUR GOLDEN TICKET IN THIS MONTHS METAL HAMMER If you pick up the current issue of Metal Hammer (that will be the one with SLIPKNOT'S Mick Thomson on the cover), inside you wi 23/06/2009SLIPKNOT LIVE @ DOWNLOAD- YOU MISS IT ON RADIO 1? FRET NOT... If you are like us lot in Metal Towers and have to be at work bright and early and could not sit up and listen ... 19/06/2009BBC RADIO 1 TO BROADCAST SLIPKNOT'S FULL DOWNLOAD HEADLINE SET After a jaw – droppingly - incredible headline set in front of 80,000 + fans at this year’s Download Festival on Saturday 13th June, and ... 15/06/2009VOTE IN THIS YEARS KERRANG AWARDS Voting has opened up for this years KERRANG AWARDS! Has a Roadrunner album been the highlight of the past 12 months for you? Maybe 12/02/2008Get A Free Roadrage 20-Track DVD A ROADRAGE DVD is available exclusively NOW via Virgin/V.Shops for a mere £7.99 or utterly free if you buy 3 RR CD's for £20 or ... 26/03/2009WATCH SLIPKNOT LIVE IN LONDON ONLINE NOW!! If you head on over to the MTV UK website now, you will be able to check out two SLIPKNOT live videos shot for the ... 20/04/2009SLIPKNOT ON THE COVER OF THE NEW ROCK SOUND PLUS MADINA LAKE, STEADLUR AND MORE!!! If you head to your local news agent and check out their shelves of music mags, you will be able to see the face of ... Sulfur Sulfur Dead Memories Dead Memories All Hope Is Gone All Hope Is Gone All Hope Is Gone SE All Hope Is Gone SE Psychosocial Psychosocial All Hope Is Gone CDS All Hope Is Gone CDS Voliminal: Inside The Nine Voliminal: Inside The Nine 9.0: Live 9.0: Live Vol.3: (The Subliminal Verses) Vol.3: (The Subliminal Verses) Welcome To Our Neighborhood Welcome To Our Neighborhood Disasterpieces Disasterpieces Iowa Iowa Slipknot Slipknot Promo Joey and his new Promark sicks The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 SLIPKNOT- 2008 The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 CHRIS The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 PAUL The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 MICK The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 JOEY The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 COREY The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 SID The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 JAMES The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 CHRIS The new masks - ALL HOPE IS GONE 2008 CLOWN All Hope Is Gone Live Shots Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Madison Square Garden, NYC - Photos by Brian Hineline Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon Pictures from Madison Square Garden by Samuel J. Roon "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - LONDON, Hammersmith Apollo 2nd December 2008 - Picture by Kirsten Lane "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam "All Hope Is Gone" tour, with support from Machine Head and Children of Bodom - Amsterdam Press ROCK SOUND MAY 2009 GUITARIST FEB 09 FRONT FEB 09 Dated December 6th 2009 KERRANG ISSUE 1239 Other
