Set to celebrate their silver anniversary later next month with a landmark homecoming event in KNOTFEST Iowa, Slipknot will preside over a special moment in heavy music history.
Marking the 25th year since their iconic, self-titled debut, the band will revisit the album that not only put Iowa on metal music's global map, but also forever altered the course of the culture. Redefining the anti-hero, the band's masked mystique and their visceral on-stage ritual was only amplified by the kind of full length recorded debut that created a generation of converts through a combination of intrigue and fear.
The band's effective combination of aggression and authenticity, became synonymous with the album and effectively created a foundation from which the band would continue to impact the culture moving forward. Self-titled remains the kind of album that transcends nostalgia and boasts the especially rare quality of remaining stylistically relevant and thematically evergreen.
Further underscoring the enduring shelf life of the debut, Knotfest Iowa will showcase a dynamic roster of heavy music's emerging class. Ranging from powerviolence, to heavy alt, to metallic hardcore, heavy music's continued diversification will be on display and offering their testament to Slipknot's seismic impact and their lasting legacy.
Among the new school set to set the stage ablaze at Knotfest Iowa, the likes of Dying Wish, ZULU, Swollen Teeth and Holy Wars offered their personal insight on just how formative Slipknot's 1999 debut was. Each band weighed in on why the album remains a definitive moment in the culture, how it continues to reach new fans a generation later and the kind of personal connection they have to the album - which will come full circle in Iowa.
DYING WISH
What was your first impression of Slipknot’s self-titled record? When did you discover it and do you recall your initial takeaways?
Emma Boster - I've known about Slipknot for most of my life. They were one of those bands that if you grew up remotely interested in heavy music - they were a household name. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that I grew to appreciate Slipknot (or nu metal in general). The record that really got me into Slipknot was Iowa but there is no denying the cultural impact their self titled has had.
How do you think this album changed the greater landscape of heavy music?
Boster - I think Slipknot made metal cool for the first time. There was something about Slipknot that was appealing to people outside of our world. It bridged a gap between other genres and metal in ways no other band had achieved before. Like a lot of rappers love Slipknot. They transcended boundaries in a way that is inspiring to a lot of younger bands. Also, the masks are iconic.
What do you think younger bands can learn from this record?
Boster - This is a sensational debut record. They really just leaned into their own thing so heavily and went for it. So do you unapologetically.
What about self-titled allows it to be still so relevant a generation later?
Boster - It's heavy, pissed off and has riffs. Those three qualities are timeless.
What is the one song from the album you want to see Slipknot play at KNOTFEST IOWA?
Boster - I'd be lying if I didn't say (sic)!
ZULU
What was your first impression of Slipknot’s self-titled record? When did you discover it and do you recall your initial takeaways?
Braxton Marcellous - I thought the record was a game changer, I’ll never forget I first heard it in middle school off Limewire with my best friend Juan and immediately went out and bought the CD. We went out and bought the masks and everything right after.
How do you think this album changed the greater landscape of heavy music?
Marcellous - The members of Slipknot all had varying influences and I feel like it shined through on the self titled record in a way that made it stand out from other nu metal releases.
What do you think younger bands can learn from this record?
Marcellous - I think younger bands can learn proper heavy songwriting from this record.
What about self-titled allows it to be still so relevant a generation later?
Marcellous - I think the self titled was so innovative that it stands the test of time. People still to this day can play it as if it just came out because of the timeless riffs and catchy choruses. Not to mention the production.
What is the one song from the album you want to see Slipknot play at KNOTFEST IOWA?
Marcellous - It’s a long shot but I’d wanna hear Tattered & Torn and Only One. Even bigger long shot to hear the bonus track Get This which is actually one of my favorite songs.
SWOLLEN TEETH
What was your first impression of Slipknot’s self-titled record? When did you discover it and do you recall your initial takeaways?
MEGAA - I was a kid at Ozzfest. All I can remember is pushing through security so I could climb up the scaffolding at the sound booth. Something told me I needed to get a better view of what was going on. And once I was up there, I saw Slipknot throwing down. It was enough to change my life.
How do you think this album changed the greater landscape of heavy music…
MEGAA - In each generation, there is a new wave that pushes the envelope. Slipknot did it in a way that has not been exceeded yet. It unlocked a new level of aggression in the genre.
What can younger bands learn from the Slipknot blueprint with self-titled?
MEGAA - Go big, but know that you’re gonna have to cut yourself open and let everything out.
What self-titled allows it to be still so relevant a generation later?
MEGAA - It’s real. You can feel the room pulsing. You can tell the band is in the room writing the song together. That’s what separates it from a lot of current music.
What is the one song from the album you want to see Slipknot play at KNOTFEST IOWA?
MEGAA - 742617000027. You will feel what’s coming next.
HOLY WARS
What was your first impression of Slipknot’s self-titled record? When did you discover it and do you recall your initial reaction?
Johnny Tuosto: I was a young boy when the album came out. I remember riding the school bus one day and one of the older kids had his walkman with a Slipknot “S” sticker on it. I asked him what it was and he pulled out the album to show me and it scared the shit out of me. I didn’t actually listen to it until a few years later.
Matt Cohen: I was in high school when I discovered Slipknot. Let’s just say my high school band used to cover “Wait and Bleed” often.
How do you think this album changed the greater landscape of heavy music?
Nick Perez: This is one of the few musically heavy and visually disturbing albums/bands that gained a wide commercial audience. Their shock value both musically and visually catapulted them during a true identity shift in our culture; other acts like Nine Inch Nails, Eminem, and Limp Bizkit were simultaneously pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable as a society. It was a perfect storm for Slipknot's self-titled to be released and the album also served as a beacon to usher in the new era of Nu-Metal. On top of it all, the masks not only were terrifying, but the anonymity of them all created even more allure.
What do you think younger bands can learn from this record?
Kat Leon: Don’t be afraid to express all of what’s inside of you - especially the darkness. There’s something cathartic in knowing that other’s share similar fucked up thoughts as your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment and pull influence from whatever music you listen to, or even visually/aesthetically. Don’t hold back; let the floodgates open. Heavy music can groove while creating tension at the same time.
What about self-titled allows it to be still so evergreen? What about this record transcends genre?
Johnny Tuosto: It’s a quintessential 90’s album, although in a different light than what most people think of 90s music. It’s so raw, aggressive, authentic, emotional, and dives into the psyche of the mind. The music compliments the lyrics and visa versa. There’s so much tension in the way it was recorded - the tempo pushes and pulls throughout songs, the integration of turntables and scratching, the spoken/screamed word rap, the trash cans, all of it comes together in a way that gets my heart rate up still to this day. Not to mention, Joey Jordison’s drum parts were revolutionary.
What is the one song from the album you want to see Slipknot play at KNOTFEST IOWA?
Kat Leon: Spit It Out!
Nick Perez: I gotta go with Wait And Bleed.
Johnny Tuosto: (sic). Hands down. What a way to start a debut album.
Matt Cohen: Wait And Bleed. The final breakdown is an all time favorite of mine.
Be sure to catch Dying Wish, ZULU, Swollen Teeth and Holy Wars as part of Knotfest Iowa 2024. See the complete line-up below. Get tickets - HERE
