Slipknot Music When Metal Exerts its Influence

The men behind Slipknot merch and music don’t have the most polished reputations. Of course, there have been many other famous bands and artists that enjoy gray or even black reputations but this band seems to have had a penchant for controversial situations and decisions that continue to be strongly associated with their name to this very day.

It was in the mid 1990s that the band members first came together. Founding members Shawn Crahan and Paul Gray took the lead. At this time, the band members already exhibited signs of discord that was to mark the rest of their career together. This was perhaps because the group simply had too many members. A total of thirteen people have had slots in the band, with eight currently on the final list. Common sense dictates that the more people you let in, the nastier things can get.

The band’s music was also initially labeled to be too off the mark with samples so complex that they could not even play it on stage. No record label would take the group in so the band decided to self produce its compositions with an initial cost that was reportedly pegged at $40,000.

In 1998, Roadrunner Records decided that the group was good enough to take a risk on and by 1999 a self-titled album, and some promotional goth clothing, was finally out. By the next year, the work was already platinum which was a first for Roadrunner. This quick success was followed in 2001 by Iowa and although this second release was considered great work as well, the band members were already at odds with each other. Their first hiatus was then announced.

From then on, the band’s status has been on rocky ground. Although a fourth release happened in 2004 with Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), the band members were again on indefinite leave by 2005. They were back together again in 2006 to receive the Best Metal Performance award at the Grammy Awards and in 2008 to release All Hope is Gone. This was followed by a third break which was punctuated by the death of Gray in 2010.

Despite the apparent lack of hope for new Slipknot albums, controversies and criticisms continue to haunt the band members on indefinite leave. Among the least disturbing of these issues is the persona adopted by the different members while performing on stage. Band members wear different masks and jumpsuits and carry numbered aliases. Critics maintain that this is a basic commercial ploy to grab more attention and sell more albums. As expected, the members have denied this.

More significant issues have hounded the group, the most shocking of which were actual crimes. Perpetrators have either openly attributed these acts to the band’s influence or to specific song lyrics. No official investigation links the band to these crimes and no legal actions have been taken. The occurrences however have prompted many critics to cite the possible role of aggressive music in fueling psychological imbalances that lead to criminal acts.

The debate rages on but there is a chance that the influence of Slipknot music has been cut short. With members of the group already on individual pursuits, it’s hard to tell how truly influential the group’s work can become.