Slipknot 10 years already?
Today I would like to talk about something that has influenced my life personally on many levels and has shown me the strength to follow my dreams. Music for me has always been close to different states of mind either the good or the bad. As I write this article I am listening to Slipknot to give me the inspiration to get the words out that I would like to express.
I still remember the day I was told about Slipknot, over 10 years ago by my friend names Charles. High school for many of us will always hold different spots in our mind but probably never forgotten. The year was 1998; randomly talking to Charles he tells me I need to check out this new band called Slipknot. Little did I know that this band originating from Des Moines, Iowa would be something that I would be listening to over 10 years later and wanting more from them as the years went on. The first song and probably the one that many people will recognize is the song “Wait and Bleed”. This was the first song I ever heard from Slipknot and I was hooked after that.
What does it mean to be hooked onto a new band that doesn’t share its face with you? For me it comes down to the music not the appearance of what the band is wearing or what they look like. The industry needed this shakeup in my opinion as the pop bands or boy bands were all the rage at the time. Getting out of your comfort zone and taking a chance is what inspires growth. It would be a few years after listening to Slipknot that I would take it to the next level by attending my first rock concert. Ozzfest 2000 is the year where I would become addicted to rock music and the pure raw energy a crowd can give. I believe I have seen Slipknot perform live 5 times in different venues over the years and each time it is better than the last time I saw them perform.
So what does it take to keep a band together for over 10 years and still be successful? There are many questions that I would personally love to direct towards the band if I was ever given the chance. I would want to ask them about the change in music styles as they progressed through their career? How has the decisions they made in the early years of their career affected them today? And how do they keep 9 people happy enough to stay together this long?
I would like to believe that the fans are what keep Slipknot together and the unfiltered appreciation for the work that they do. I have talked to many people over the years and watched how Slipknot has even changed some lives. Hearing fans talk about Slipknot you would think that they breathe through the band. Hearing Slipknot is one thing, but to experience what the band offers live is what I consider the true meaning of what makes them a success. The presence that they put on stage is compared to nothing I have seen over the years I have been going to concerts. I have been witness to girls fainting, insanely huge mosh pits, and even the youngest of children ready to rock out to Slipknot.
With the support of fans the first album entitled “Slipknot” went platinum in 2000. So what could fans expect from Slipknot if not more music and more evolution of what they had to offer. The release of the second studio album “Iowa” in 2001 would put Slipknot in a heavy blitz and connection with a new base of fans. The first single off of the new album “Left Behind” would premiere on MTV and would prove the fact that they were here to stay in people’s minds for a long time.
Slipknot’s success didn’t stop at just music videos or DVD releases of their concerts like “Disasterpieces”, but would continue with them hitting the big screen in the movie “RollerBall” in 2002, soundtrack recordings for the movie “Resident Evil” or making it all the way to video games with the song “Before I Forget” on Guitar Hero 3. Not only does Slipknot change their music style but they like to also reinvent themselves with each new album by designing new masks to wear on stage. Each member of the band will use the masks to project the individuality held within them and that is what the world sees.
While it is no surprise that Slipknot likes to push the envelope for controversy and scare tactics, but something that will probably go unnoticed to most people will be the highly intellectual lyrics that are provide by lead singer Corey Taylor. This lyric comes from the song “The Heretic Anthem” “everybody’s so infatuated everybody’s so completely sure of what we are everybody defimates from miles away but face to face they haven’t got a thing to say”. As I have listened to Slipknot over the years I have learned new vocabulary words that I probably wouldn’t have learned elsewhere in everyday life.
What will be next for Slipknot? How long can it last? What will their next album sound like? Will I be learning new words to use in my everyday life? Can I expect to say that Slipknot will be together to celebrate 15 years as a band, I sure hope so.
I wish Slipknot the best in everything that they do and I have to say that no one band has had more of an impact on me then they have.
PS: Joey all the times I watch you play the drums makes me want to learn how to play more and more.
Influence
