If the Slipknot is experiencing a “magical moment” in 2024, as the members themselves defined this year full of celebrations and news, things were very different 23 years ago when the band released Iowathe second album of his career.
Between tiredness after the debut album tour, drug problems and a very bad studio environment, the group led by Corey Taylor managed to create another masterpiece that consolidated them as one of the biggest references in Nu Metal.
In this special article, we will explain how the album that has rocks like “People = Shit”, “Disaster piece” It is “My Plague”which influenced the aesthetics and dictated the aggressiveness of Metal in the early 2000s.
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When “darkness settled” in Slipknot
Slipknot’s debut in 1999, with the self-titled album, already earned the American band its first major tour. They were part of the line-up of Ozzfestlegendary traveling festival created by Ozzy Osbournewhich functioned as an exchange between US and UK Metal.
Even without receiving much publicity as it was essentially an independent album – so much so that it was the first of Roadrunner Records reaching the Platinum mark -, that sound that mixed heavy Rock with Hip-Hop guaranteed Corey Taylor and company a huge fan base.
When they entered the Sound City Studios in Los Angeles to prepare the next album, in January 2001, the drummer Joey Jordison and the bassist Paul Gray they felt overwhelmed, as they were the only ones with new compositions to present.
The time on the road promoting his first album took a toll on Corey, who saw his alcohol dependence worsen, taking him away from work. In the middle of it all there was a new guitarist, Jim Rootwho could barely contribute to so much confusion after only recording “Purity” on their debut album.
As we told you in this article, the vocalist had to resort to non-traditional methods to channel the energy necessary to sing in the midst of a heavy environment, including nudity and self-mutilation inside the studio (via Far Out):
There was nothing fun about ‘Iowa’. Suddenly we were metal stars, something we weren’t really expecting. We got lost in the lifestyle and the problems that come with fame, and a darkness set in at the beginning of recording. […] But, you know, sometimes you have to destroy yourself in order to build something great. That’s where the best things come from.
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So what explains the popularity of Iowa?
If the recording sessions Iowa were not at all fun for Slipknot, the band’s fans – and also those who were unaware of that new wave of Nu Metal – had a lot of fun with the final result.
Released on August 28, 2001, the album debuted in the Top 10 of the music charts in nine countries, reaching the top in the United Kingdom and third place in the USA thanks to heavy tracks such as “The Heretic Anthem” and those already mentioned “People = Shit” It is “Disaster piece”.
The single “My Plague” also gained a lot of attention when appearing on the film’s soundtrack resident Evil (2022), and the track “Left Behind” received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.
As the titles show, the song lyrics addressed sensitive topics such as sexism, hypocrisy and mental disorders, at the same time that the sound was less “raw” than on the previous album, with the musicians demonstrating a more technical and well-produced side.
But not even the success of the work was enough to calm the band’s spirits internally.
READ ALSO: Corey Taylor (Slipknot) remembers 10 memorable encounters with his idols in music
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Slipknot “shows its face” for the first time
After another long and exhausting world tour, Slipknot went on hiatus in mid-2002, when the members decided to dedicate themselves to side projects, although there were rumors that the band would split up for good.
Corey Taylor resumed an old project, the Stone SourJoey Jordison founded the Murderdollsthe percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan created the To My Surprise and the DJ Sid Wilson began a solo career under the nickname DJ Starscream.
It turns out that, to publicize these new ventures, many of them revealed their faces publicly for the first time, including bombshell interviews with Corey and Joey on MTV which had a lot of audience at the time.
It is worth remembering that the turn of the century was a time of renewal for Metal, with bands incorporating Rap, Funk and Alternative Rock into the style – what we know today as Nu Metal: Korn, LinkinPark, system of a Down It is Limp Bizkit released records that sold millions of copies.
Therefore, Iowa by Slipknot became a classic of the genre, especially with regard to the aggressiveness and aesthetics of the record, influencing young bands like Traga-me o horizonte, Of Mice & Men, Bad Omens and even Tobias Forgeof Ghost.
Listen to the classic “People = Shit” below and understand why the sound was so important and influential!
