From how they got started to why they wear those iconic masks
Author: Scarlett MartinPublished 5th Apr 2025
Starting out in a basement in Des Moines, Iowa, Slipknot have gone on to become one of the biggest and most fearsome bands on the planet. The masked metallers have not only headlined Download Festival four times and won a Grammy Award, but they've also sold over 30 million albums throughout their career.
The band's most recent release was 2023 single 'Bone Church', which followed their 7th studio album, ‘The End, So Far’, in September 2022. The record scored Slipknot their third Number 1 in the album chart. Whether you've just discovered Slipknot or you've been a fan for years and want to brush up on your knowledge, keep on reading to find out everything you need to know about these legends.
Who is in Slipknot?
The current line-up of Slipknot includes vocalist Corey Taylor (aka #8), bass player Alessandro Venturella, drummer**** Eloy Casagrande, guitarist Jim Root (aka #4), DJ Sid Wilson (aka #0), guitarist Mick Thomson (aka #7), percussionist Michael Pfaff (aka Tortilla Man) and percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan (aka #6) - the only founding member left in the band.
When did Slipknot form?
Slipknot were formed in Des Moines Iowa in 1995 by friends Shawn Crahan and the late Joey Jordison and Paul Gray. The band took their name from the opening track of their debut demo 'Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat' which was released on Halloween in 1996.
Who are the former members of Slipknot?
The line-up of Slipknot has changed multiple times since the band formed in 1995. Former members of the band include:
Bass player Paul Gray (aka #2) (1995-2010; died 24th May 24 2010)
Drummer Joey Jordison (aka #1) (1995–2013; died 26th July 2021)
Guitarist/Bass player Donnie Steele (1995-1996) (2011-2014)
Keyboardist Craig "133" Jones (aka #5) (1996-2023)
Percussionist Chris Fehn (aka #3) (1998-2019)
Drummer Jay Weinberg (2014-2023)
Bassist and founding member Paul Gray died on 24th May 2010 of an overdose of prescription medicine morphine and fentanyl.
Joey Jordison passed away in July 2021 at the age of 46. His family confirmed he'd died in his sleep and his former Slipknot bandmates paid tribute to him on social media by sharing photos of blacked out squares as well as blacking out their website.
What do Slipknot call their fans?
Slipknot affectionately calls their fans Maggots. Corey Taylor once explained during an interview that the nickname came about because when the band are performing on stage, the audience "looks like writhing maggots jumping around."
Do Slipknot have their own festival?
Yes, Slipknot created their very own festival, 'Knotfest' back in 2012. The tour was originally held in the band's home stage of Iowa, but has since been to Canada, Japan, Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Finland, Italy, France, Australia and other states within the US. Deftones, Bring Me The Horizon, Lamb Of God, Of Mice And Men and Black Sabbath are just a few of the bands who have performed at Knotfest over the past 13 years.
The inaugural Knotfest UK was scheduled to take place at The National Bowl in Milton Keynes on 22 August 2020, however it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
How did Slipknot get famous?
Slipknot's achieved breakthrough success after the release of their self-titled debut album 'Slipknot' in 1999. The album, which featured singles 'Wait and Bleed' and 'Spit It Out', has sold over 2 million units in Slipknot's native US and achieved Platinum status in the UK. A major commercial and critical success, it remains Slipknots' best selling album to this day.
To promote 'Slipknot', the band embarked on their first major headline tour called 'World Domination'. The 123-date tour sold out in just a few hours and helped the band gain an even bigger following.
How many albums have Slipknot made?
To date, Slipknot have released seven studio albums including 'Slipknot (1999), 'Iowa' (2001), 'Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)' (2004), 'All Hope Is Gone' (2008), '.5: The Gray Chapter' (2014), 'We Are Not Your Kind' (2019) and 'The End, So Far' (2022).
Who writes all of Slipknot songs?
In the early days, the members of Slipknot were all involved in the song-writing process and are credited with writing mega-hits such as 'Duality', 'Psychosocial' and 'Before I Forget'. However, in more recent times, the band's songs have predominantly been written by Corey Taylor, Jim Root and Shawn Crahan. Frontman Corey Taylor has also previously written songs by himself for the band, including 'Goodbye', 'Nomadic' and 'Lech'.
What awards have Slipknot won?
During their 30-year career, Slipknot have won a variety of awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2006 for their song 'Before I Forget' and NME's Best Band In The World 2020 award.
The band have also won a medley of Kerrang! Awards over the years including Best International Live Act, Best Live Band, Best Track for 'Wait and Bleed', the Icon Award and Best International Band
What are Slipknot doing now?
As well as performing at Knotfests all over the world, Slipknot continue to tour, with a number of European dates already in the diary this summer. It follows an extensive tour in 2024, which included UK appearances in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester and more.
Slipknot have also released their limited run of Clown's Iowa Shine and No.9 Reserve, which was voted best celebrity whiskey by Forbes two years in a row. The band first got into the liquor business in 2019, when they collaborated with Iowa's Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery to launch their own craft whiskey, No.9 Reserve.
Why do Slipknot wear masks?
Slipknot have been wearing their Halloween-style masks since 1997, after Shawn Crahan came up with his stage persona, 'Clown', and started wearing a clown mask during rehearsals. While they might have evolved over the years, the masks have become a crucial part of the band's identity.
During an interview with the BBC in 2016, frontman Corey Taylor and Shawn Crahan explained that the masks let each individual in the band represent his true self, whilst also being free of constraints like social politeness, shared mannerisms or conventional morality.
Whilst the majority of the band have been seen without their masks, former keyboardist Craig "133" Jones prefered to remain masked or blurred out during Slipknot interviews. To see how the band's masks have changed over the years, take a look at the gallery below:
Slipknot's masks through the years:
Slipknot in 2000
Slipknot wearing trademark white boiler suits and their horrorshow masks in 2000.
Everything you need to know about Slipknot
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Slipknot arrive at the 2024 Grammy Awards
Slipknot arrived at the 2024 Grammy Awards, wearing a variety of different masks with their dress suits.
Slipknot in 2000
Slipknot wearing trademark white boiler suits and their horrorshow masks in 2000.
Slipknot 'Slipknot'
Slipknot on the sleeve of their fearsome, self-titled debut album in June 1999.
Slipknot's in 2000
Slipknot standing in a stairway in early 2000, obviously.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan and Joey Jordison's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan and the late Joey Jordison in their fetching masks in 2000.
Sid Wilson's mask
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in his gas mask in 2000.
Corey Taylor's mask
Corey Taylor with his dreadlock mask in 2000 - a very different mask to his look today.
Jim Root's mask
Slipknot's Jim Root in 2000 in his Jester mask.
Craig Jones' mask
Slipknot's former keyboardist, Craig Jones, in his bizarre spiked helmet mask in 2000. This would soon evolve into a spiked gimp mask.
Mick Thomson's mask
Slipknot's formidable and towering Mick Thomson in 2000 in his horror hockey mask.
Paul Gray's mask
The late-great Paul Gray of Slipknot in his Pig Mask in 2000.
Chris Fehn's mask
Slipknot's former percussionist Chris Fehn in 2000. His pointy-nosed Pinocchio-esque mask was a mainstay of his entire career with Slipknot. The mask is dubbed the Liar Mask.
Craig Jones' mask
Former member Craig Jones in 2001. His part Hellraiser/part Gimp mask also remained largely unchanged over the decades, except for the odd tweak.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2001. Although all of his masks have been clown related, the percussionist has tweaked his mask more than any other Slipknot member.
Slipknot
Slipknot's masks in June 2001.
Joey Jordison and Corey Taylor's masks
Slipknot's late Joey Jordison and Corey Taylor in 2001.
Sid Wilson's mask
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in June 2001. Another variant of his gas mask.
Jim Root's mask
Slipknot's Jim Root in 2001.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan up close
A close-up of Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in December 2001.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot and their masks in December 2001.
Chris Fehn's mask
Former member Chris Fehn in his Liar Mask in 2002.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2002. The dreadlocks still remain.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in August 2002. This mask is more 'fairground clown' than his previous guises.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in May 2004. This delightful look is known as The Scab Mask.
Paul Gray's mask
The late Paul Gray in 2004. Not quite a pig mask but still animalistic.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in June 2004. This time he adopted a bloody bandage mask.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot in May 2005. Sid Wilson had dropped the gas mask in favour of a skull mask.
Slipknot at the Grammy Awards
Slipknot on the 2006 Grammy Awards red carpet. Sid Wilson on the far right opted for a death mask, while Shawn Crahan wore a grey mask and eye-catching pink boiler suit.
Slipknot 'All Hope Is Gone'
Slipknot return with new masks for All Hope Is Gone in 2008, including, most notably, the late Joey Jordison's crucified Jesus mask. Corey Taylor wore a new Blank Face Mask.
Mick Thomson and Jim Root's masks
Slipknot's Mick Thomson and Jim Root in their masks in 2008.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Jim Root and the late Paul Gray at the Kerrang! Awards in 2008.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot suited and booted in December 2008 at the MTV Video Awards.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in May 2009. His long hair perfectly complements his 'female mask'.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor pulling tongues in his Blank Face Mask in July 2009.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot's Sid Wilson and Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in July 2011.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in his Devil Clown Mask in July 2012.
Mick Thomson's mask
Slipknot's Mick Thomson in August 2012.
Jim Root's mask
Slipknot's Jim Root in his Jester Mask in 2013.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor at Download Festival 2013.
Chris Fehn's mask
Former percussionist, Chris Fehn, in 2013 in his trademark Liar Mask.
Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in January 2014.
Slipknot’s Mick Thomson
Slipknot's Mick Thomson in November 2014.
Slipknot’s Sid Wilson
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in 2015 in his new Gas Mask.
Slipknot's Alessandro Venturella
Slipknot's Alessandro Venturella in 2015.
Slipknot’s Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2015.
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2015.
Slipknot’s Sid Wilson
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in October 2015.
Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg
Slipknot's former drummer, Jay Weinberg, in 2016.
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2016.
Slipknot’s Chris Fehn
Slipknot's former member, Chris Fehn, in July 2016
Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg
Former drummer, Jay Weinberg in 2016.
Slipknot’s Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2016.
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan
Another mask worn by Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2016.
Slipknot's new masks for 2019
Slipknot's new masks for 2019
Slipknot unveiled their fearsome new masks for 6th album 'We Are Not Your Kind' on 16th May 2019.
Slipknot's Corey Taylor
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2022.
Jim Root in 2023
Slipknot's Jim Root performs on the Pandaemonium stage during Festival Copenhell, in Denmark in 2023.
Slipknot arrive at the 2024 Grammy Awards
Slipknot arrived at the 2024 Grammy Awards, wearing a variety of different masks with their dress suits.
Slipknot in 2000
Slipknot wearing trademark white boiler suits and their horrorshow masks in 2000.
Slipknot 'Slipknot'
Slipknot on the sleeve of their fearsome, self-titled debut album in June 1999.
Slipknot's in 2000
Slipknot standing in a stairway in early 2000, obviously.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan and Joey Jordison's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan and the late Joey Jordison in their fetching masks in 2000.
Sid Wilson's mask
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in his gas mask in 2000.
Corey Taylor's mask
Corey Taylor with his dreadlock mask in 2000 - a very different mask to his look today.
Jim Root's mask
Slipknot's Jim Root in 2000 in his Jester mask.
Craig Jones' mask
Slipknot's former keyboardist, Craig Jones, in his bizarre spiked helmet mask in 2000. This would soon evolve into a spiked gimp mask.
Mick Thomson's mask
Slipknot's formidable and towering Mick Thomson in 2000 in his horror hockey mask.
Paul Gray's mask
The late-great Paul Gray of Slipknot in his Pig Mask in 2000.
Chris Fehn's mask
Slipknot's former percussionist Chris Fehn in 2000. His pointy-nosed Pinocchio-esque mask was a mainstay of his entire career with Slipknot. The mask is dubbed the Liar Mask.
Craig Jones' mask
Former member Craig Jones in 2001. His part Hellraiser/part Gimp mask also remained largely unchanged over the decades, except for the odd tweak.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2001. Although all of his masks have been clown related, the percussionist has tweaked his mask more than any other Slipknot member.
Slipknot
Slipknot's masks in June 2001.
Joey Jordison and Corey Taylor's masks
Slipknot's late Joey Jordison and Corey Taylor in 2001.
Sid Wilson's mask
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in June 2001. Another variant of his gas mask.
Jim Root's mask
Slipknot's Jim Root in 2001.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan up close
A close-up of Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in December 2001.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot and their masks in December 2001.
Chris Fehn's mask
Former member Chris Fehn in his Liar Mask in 2002.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2002. The dreadlocks still remain.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in August 2002. This mask is more 'fairground clown' than his previous guises.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in May 2004. This delightful look is known as The Scab Mask.
Paul Gray's mask
The late Paul Gray in 2004. Not quite a pig mask but still animalistic.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in June 2004. This time he adopted a bloody bandage mask.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot in May 2005. Sid Wilson had dropped the gas mask in favour of a skull mask.
Slipknot at the Grammy Awards
Slipknot on the 2006 Grammy Awards red carpet. Sid Wilson on the far right opted for a death mask, while Shawn Crahan wore a grey mask and eye-catching pink boiler suit.
Slipknot 'All Hope Is Gone'
Slipknot return with new masks for All Hope Is Gone in 2008, including, most notably, the late Joey Jordison's crucified Jesus mask. Corey Taylor wore a new Blank Face Mask.
Mick Thomson and Jim Root's masks
Slipknot's Mick Thomson and Jim Root in their masks in 2008.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Jim Root and the late Paul Gray at the Kerrang! Awards in 2008.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot suited and booted in December 2008 at the MTV Video Awards.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in May 2009. His long hair perfectly complements his 'female mask'.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor pulling tongues in his Blank Face Mask in July 2009.
Slipknot's evolving masks
Slipknot's Sid Wilson and Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in July 2011.
Shawn 'Clown' Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in his Devil Clown Mask in July 2012.
Mick Thomson's mask
Slipknot's Mick Thomson in August 2012.
Jim Root's mask
Slipknot's Jim Root in his Jester Mask in 2013.
Corey Taylor's mask
Slipknot's Corey Taylor at Download Festival 2013.
Chris Fehn's mask
Former percussionist, Chris Fehn, in 2013 in his trademark Liar Mask.
Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan's mask
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in January 2014.
Slipknot’s Mick Thomson
Slipknot's Mick Thomson in November 2014.
Slipknot’s Sid Wilson
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in 2015 in his new Gas Mask.
Slipknot's Alessandro Venturella
Slipknot's Alessandro Venturella in 2015.
Slipknot’s Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2015.
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2015.
Slipknot’s Sid Wilson
Slipknot's Sid Wilson in October 2015.
Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg
Slipknot's former drummer, Jay Weinberg, in 2016.
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2016.
Slipknot’s Chris Fehn
Slipknot's former member, Chris Fehn, in July 2016
Slipknot’s Jay Weinberg
Former drummer, Jay Weinberg in 2016.
Slipknot’s Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2016.
Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan
Another mask worn by Slipknot's Shawn 'Clown' Crahan in 2016.
Slipknot's new masks for 2019
Slipknot's new masks for 2019
Slipknot unveiled their fearsome new masks for 6th album 'We Are Not Your Kind' on 16th May 2019.
Slipknot's Corey Taylor
Slipknot's Corey Taylor in 2022.
Jim Root in 2023
Slipknot's Jim Root performs on the Pandaemonium stage during Festival Copenhell, in Denmark in 2023.
Slipknot arrive at the 2024 Grammy Awards
Slipknot arrived at the 2024 Grammy Awards, wearing a variety of different masks with their dress suits.
