The nine-member hard-core metal outfit Slipknot formed in the self-proclaimed "middle of nowhere"-- Des Moines, Iowa -- in 1995. Asserting that they are "not about our names or our faces." Members DJ Sid Wilson, drummer Joey Jordison, bassist Paul Gray, percussionist Chris Fehn, guitarist Jim Root, sampler Craig Jones, percussionist Shawn Crahan, guitarist Mic Thompson and vocalist Corey Taylor have taken numbers 0-8 as stage names and don bizarre homemade masks during their shows.

Slipknot self-released a CD in 1996, Mate, Feed, Kill, Repeat, before signing with Ross Robinson's I Am Records, an imprint of Roadrunner. Their label debut, Slipknot, was released in 1999. It is an amazing album, in my opinion. I was in shock of their surprising talent. They also have a great website. www.slipknot1.com or www.slipknot2.com