Slipknot Band Members, Tour And Their Masks

There was a time when Slipknot members without masks were not imaginable. The group wore masks for various personal and aesthetic reasons.

During the preliminary phases of the band, co-founder and percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan turned up to the rehearsals wearing a clown mask, thus inspiring his nickname.

Drawing inspiration from Shawn, the band ultimately decided every member should wear a unique mask in 1997.

In an interview with Kerrang! Radio in February 2020, frontman Corey Taylor praised Shawn for his creativity. He stated:

I give a lot of credit to Clown. His imagination, his vision in a lot of ways has helped shaped this for so many years.

Corey further added that the mask had always been the physical representation of the person inside him and allowed him to become his true self.

Going against the grain of prevailing trends in heavy metal during the era, the band initiated the craze for masks, which is now incorporated by numerous metal bands.

The co-founder Crahan also mentioned the reason behind adopting the masks.

One day, it just so happened, it was that moment of clarity to decide what I want to project.

Why Did Slipnot Unmask?

Although images of Slipknot members without masks are widely prevalent nowadays, the band was successful at keeping their faces concealed for years.

With the evolution of the internet and social media, it was unsure that the band members could keep such a low-profile lifestyle. So, the band did unmask interviews in the 2006 'Vominal: Inside the Nine' DVD' where the identities of each member were revealed.

The interviews have resulted in individuals like Corey Taylor, Shawn Crahan, and Joey Jordision being instantly recognized by the fans. However, some members like Craig Jones and Chris Fehn still fly under the radar with their hidden identities.

The Slipknot original members roster was made up of 1. Shawn Crahan 2. Joey Jordison 3. Craig Jones 4. Paul Gray, and more.

Initially, the band started in 1995 with lead vocalist Anders Colsefini, guitarists Donnie Steele and Josh Brainard, drummer Joey Jordision, bassist Paul Gray and percussionist Shawn Crahan.

However, the lineup was shortlived with the first three members being replaced by Corey Taylor, Mick Thompson, and Jim Root. The band also recruited Chris Fehn and Sid Wilson.

After the major lineup changes the band went on to release their first studio album in 1999 and the lineup has stayed the same since then.

Shawn Crahan

Shawn Crahan is an American musician and artist. He is known as #6 and percussionist of the metal band.

Shawn is credited for bringing about the band's unique mask appearance. He is the only original member in the lineup and goes by the stage name "Clown" and  #6.

Joey Jordison

Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison was an American musician widely known for being the drummer of the band. He was also the co-founder of the band.

Joey was designated #1 in the band and featured in the first four albums until he was ousted by Slipknot in 2013.

In 2016, he was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological condition that impairs movement. He later died on July 23, 2021, at the age of 46.

Paul Gray

Paul Dedrick Gray was an American musician who rose to prominence for his role as a bassist and back vocalist of the band.

He was also one of the founding members and was designated #2. Paul went by the stage name "Pig" attributed to his mask.

Paul remained loyal to the band until his death on May 24, 2010, at the age of 38.

The additional active members of Slipknot include:

• Corey Taylor (#8) as lead vocalist
• Mick Thomson (#7) as guitarist
• Jim Root (#4) as guitarist
• Alessandro Venturella as bassist and backing vocalist
• Jay Weinberg as drummer
• Craig Jones (#5) as a sampler
• Sid Wilson (#0) as a turntablist

Slipknot studio albums have sold 30 million records worldwide. The band saw commercial success after the release of its debut album Slipknot in 1999.

The album reached number 51 on Billboard 200 and is 2x Platinum certified by the RIAA, and has sold over 2.7 million copies worldwide, making it Slipknot's best-selling album to date.

Similarly, the band released its sophomore album Iowa in 2001, followed by Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) in 2004. Both of the albums were Platinum certified in the United States.

Slipknot saw its first chart-topping album on Billboard history in 2008 with the release of its fourth studio album All Hope is Gone. The album was also Platinum certified by the RIAA.

The following two albums 2014's The Gray Chapter and 2019's We Are Not Your Kind achieved moderate commercial success, and consistently featured atop the Billboard 200 chart.

Their seventh and most recent album The End So Far was released on September 30, 2022, and was the band's last album to be released via Roadrunner Records, ending their 24 years of partnership.

Slipknot Tour 2023 USA will start on May 18 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. They will commence the event on Thursday.

The event is titled "Welcome to Rockville" and will feature some of the hottest metal acts of the century including Avenge Sevenfold, Pantera, Tool, and more.

Following their US Tour, the band will venture into Europe, commencing their tour at Nava Rock Festival on June 7, 2023, in Nickelsdorf, Austria. They'll be traveling to Hradec Kralove, Czechia the subsequent day to perform at Nava Rock Festival.

Similarly, the band will be touring across multiple European countries including Switzerland, the UK, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, which will finally complete their European Tour on June 30, 2023 at Resurrection Fest.

Ultimately, the band is scheduled to perform 20 concerts across 12 different countries in 2023.