slipknot

Slipknot's first songs were composed in 1990, during what is referred to by the band members as the "Basement Sessions", while in this "Basement Session", Slipknot went under the name as Meld before they became Slipknot. Conducted in the basement of Anders Colsefini, co-founder of the band. Many of the songs on Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat and some that were added to later albums were written during these sessions. Crahan, being one of the founders, came up with the idea on having three drummers; first to keep the group together, and second to give a wall of sound. Before Joey Jordison joined, Crahan was the lead drummer.They achieved a stable line-up in 1995, and released a demo entitled Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat on Halloween in 1996. The demo was well-received, and after they won a local battle of the bands in Des Moines, beating soon-to-be-vocalist Corey Taylor's group Stone Sour. A few major record labels became interested in the group. At that time, the band contained five members, but Roadrunner Records didn't want to sign them at first, feeling that the songwriting needed some work. John Kuliak, Midwest Promotion representative for Roadrunner, worked tirelessly to get them signed to the reluctant label. In due course, Slipknot went out to find a new lead singer, and pushed Anders to percussion. They then hired Taylor as the lead vocalist.

Slipknot were formed in late 1995 in the unlikely locale of Des Moines, IA; after some early personnel shifts, the nine-piece lineup settled around (in order from number zero to number eight): DJ Sid Wilson, drummer Joey Jordison, bassist Paul Grey, percussionist Chris Fehn, guitarist James Root, sampler/programmer Craig Jones, percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan, guitarist Mick Thompson, and lead vocalist Corey Taylor. The music scene in Des Moines wasn't much to speak of, and the band's big-time ambition was usually met with disbelief and ridicule, which provided the initial spark for its mostly anonymous stage visuals. On Halloween 1996, Slipknot self-released an album called Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat., which began to build a buzz around the group once it found its way to several labels. It was picked up for distribution by the Nebraska-based -ismist label, and also caught the attention of Roadrunner Records, which signed Slipknot in 1997. Working with producer Ross Robinson, Slipknot recorded their official, self-titled debut album, which was released in 1999. They gradually built an audience through near-constant touring, working their way up to the summer Ozzfest package tour, which really expanded their audience. Their live shows were a much-discussed hit with metal fans, and the band performed with such energy that Crahan gashed his head open on his own drum kit twice that summer, requiring stitches both times. The tracks "Wait and Bleed" and "Spit It Out" got the band some airplay, but most of the buzz came from touring and word of mouth. Finally, in the spring of 2000, Slipknot was certified platinum; the first such album in Roadrunner's history.

Slipknot is currently one of the more popular musical groups of the Contemporary music scene, with their extreme music and violent stage performances. Their albums and home videos have achieved Platinum-sales status, with Grammy nods in the Best Heavy Metal and Best Hard Rock categories for songs from all four of their albums.
The band is also well-known for its peculiar image: the members wear matching uniforms (some of which have UPC barcodes printed on the them) and each has a unique mask.

Current members
0 Sid Wilson - Turntables
1 Joey Jordison - Drums
2 Paul Gray - Bass guitar
3 Chris Fehn - Percussion
4 James Root - Guitar
5 Craig "133" Jones - Sampler
6 Shawn "Clown" Crahan - Percussion
7 Mick Thomson - Guitar
8 Corey Taylor - Vocals

Former members
Anders Colsefini
Greg "Cuddles" Welts
Josh "Gnar" Brainard
Brandon Darner
Donnie Steele
Quan "Meld" Nong