Before I Forget

Background:

Widely known for their aggressive music style and live shows, Grammy Award winning American heavy metal band Slipknot rose to prominence with their eponymous debut album (1999), which achieved double platinum certification in the United States and went platinum in the U.K., Canada and Australia. The album also produced their first Grammy nominated single, “Wait and Bleed.” Slipknot's popularity gained a further boost with the album “Iowa” (2001), which gave the group the Grammy nominated singles “Left Behind” and “My Plague.” After separating for a break, Slipknot launched the third studio album, “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses),” in 2004. The group won a Grammy Award for the third single “Before I Forget,” while the singles “Duality” and “Vermilion” received Grammy nominations. The single “Psychosocial,” which was taken from the album “All Hope Is Gone” (2008), became the group's seventh single to receive a nomination at the Grammy Awards. The group has also produced one live album, four video albums and two demo albums.

Slipknot was founded in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray. The group experienced several lineup changes in their early days before becoming a group consisting of Sid Wilson (turntables, 1998-present), Joey Jordison (drums, 1995-present), Paul Gray (bass, 1995-2010), Chris Fehn (custom percussion, 1998-present), Jim Root (guitars, replaced Josh Brainard in 1999), Craig Jones (samples, 1996-present), Shawn Crahan (custom percussion, 1995-present), Mick Thomson (guitars, (1996-present) and Corey Taylor (lead vocals, 1997-present). With the death of Gray in 2010, Slipknot has become unsure of their future and is reluctant to comment on the situation.

The Pale Ones

Childhood and Family:

In Des Moines, Iowa, Slipknot was founded in September 1995 when drummer Shawn Crahan (born September 24, 1969) and bassist Paul Gray (born April 8, 1972, died May 24, 2010) started a group called The Pale Ones. Before long, drummer Joey Jordison (born April 26, 1975) joined the group, after which Crahan moved to custom percussion. They also recruited vocalist Anders Colsefini, guitarist Josh Brainard, and second guitarist Donnie Steele. After a suggestion from Jordison, the band changed the name to Slipknot in late 1995. The name was taken from the group's song of the same title.

In February 1996, Steele left the group and was replaced by Craig Jones (born February 11, 1972). Jones became the group's sampler and Mick Thomson was brought in as the replacement guitarist. In 1997, after the recruitment of lead vocalist Corey Taylor (born December 8, 1973), the group moved Colsefini to backup vocals and percussion. Unhappy with the position, Colsefini left the band and was replaced by Greg Welts on percussion. After the group fired Welts in 1998, they recruited Chris Fehn (born February 24, 1972) as his replacement. Also in 1998, DJ Sid Wilson was added to the lineup. In January 1999, guitarist Jim Root joined the group as a replacement for Josh Brainard.

On May 24, 2010, bassist Paul Gray was found dead in his hotel room. According to the autopsy result, he died of an accidental overdose and had signs of heart disease.

Psychosocial

Career:

On October 31, 1996, Slipknot independently released their first demo album titled “Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.” Co-produced by Slipknot and Sean McMahon, the album was recorded in Des Moines over seven months and had an original limited release of 1,000 copies. Although the demo brought Slipknot a small amount of airplay, it failed to attract any record labels so the group decided to return to the studio to work on new material. They recruited new vocalist Corey Taylor and Anders Colsefni left the group in 1997.

In early 1998, Slipknot produced a second demo consisting of five tracks solely for record labels. The “Slipknot demo” attracted the attention of many labels, including music producer Ross Robinson. In July 1998, they signed a record deal with Roadrunner Records.

Recorded at Indigo Ranch in Malibu, California, during 1998 and 1999, the album “Slipknot” was launched on June 29, 1999, and co-produced by the group with McMahon and Robinson. The album was well received by audiences and critics. “Slipknot” peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 and received double platinum certification in the United States. The album also charted in Finland (#30), the U.K. (#37), Australia (#32), The Netherlands (#42), New Zealand (#49) and Sweden (#53) and went platinum in the U.K., Australia and Canada and gold in the Netherlands. “Slipknot” generated two singles with “Wait and Bleed” (February 2000), a No. 34 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and also a Top 30 on the U.K. Singles chart, and “Spit It Out” (April 2000), the group's second Top 30 hit in the U.K. “Wait and Bleed” was nominated for a 2001 Grammy in the category of Best Metal Performance. The group also released their first video album, “Welcome to Our Neighborhood,” on November 9, 1999. It entered No. 1 on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart and went platinum in February 2000. The album earned gold status in Canada.

On August 28, 2001, Slipknot reappeared with the sophomore effort “Iowa,” which the group produced with Robinson. The album was a success and rocketed to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It also topped the U.K. Albums Chart and made the Top 10 in Australia, Finland, Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland and New Zealand. The album spawned three singles with “The Heretic Anthem,” “Left Behind” and “My Plague.” The second single, “Left Behind,” rose to No. 30 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 24 on the U.K. Singles Chart. It was nominated for a 2002 Grammy for Best Metal Performance. The last single, “My Plague,” which appeared on the soundtrack for the film “Resident Evil,” peaked at No. 43 on the U.K. Singles Chart and brought the group a 2003 Grammy nomination in the category of Best Metal Performance. “Iowa” went platinum in the U.S., Australia and Canada and gold in the U.K. and Germany. Despite their success, Slipknot was forced to take a break in mid 2002 because of internal conflicts. During the break, some of the band members focused on side projects. They then released the video album “Disasterpieces” on November 25, 2002. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart and was certified quadruple platinum by RIAA in 2005.

After relocating to Los Angeles, California, in 2003, Slipknot worked on the studio album “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)” with producer Rick Rubin. The album was released on May 24, 2004, to primarily positive reviews from critics. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and went platinum in the U.S. The album also peaked within the top 10 in album sales in the U.K. (#5), Germany and Australia (both #2). The lead single “Duality” (2004) rose to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 6 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks. In the U.K., the song peaked at No. 15. “Duality” was nominated for a 2005 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance. The second single, “Vermilion,” went to No. 14 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 17 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks. It was nominated for a 2005 Grammy in the category of Best Metal Performance. The third single, “Before I Forget,” brought the group a Grammy in 2006 for Best Metal Performance. The song also peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 32 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks. Other singles from the album include “The Blister Exists” and “The Nameless,” which was also released as the only single from the group's first live album “9.0: Live” (2005). The group's third video album, “Voliminal: Inside the Nine,” was released on December 5, 2006.

After taking another break, Slipknot was reunited to work on their next studio album in late 2007. They began touring in support of the album on the “All Hope Is Gone World Tour” on July 9, 2008. Their fourth album, “All Hope Is Gone,” which Slipknot co-produced with Dave Fortman, was launched on August 26, 2008. The album went to the top position on nine record charts worldwide, including the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum by RIAA. The single “Psychosocial,” No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Track and No. 20 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks, was nominated for a 2009 Grammy for Best Metal Performance. Other singles released from the album included “All Hope Is Gone” (2008), “Dead Memories” (2008), “Sulfur” (2009) and “Snuff” (2009). After completing their tour in October 2009, the group took another hiatus.

On May 24, 2010, bassist and founding member Paul Gray passed away. The album “All Hope Is Gone” marked the final studio album released by Slipknot to include Gray.

The fourth video album “(sic)nesses” was released on September 28, 2010, and was dedicated to Gray. The album received critical acclaim upon its release and rose to No. 1 in both the U.S. and Finland. The future of Slipknot is presently uncertain.

Awards:

• Grammy: “Before I Forget,” Best Metal Performance, 2006