Des Moines, IOWA: the most populous city in the state of IOWA, named the fourth best place for business by ‘Forbes’ in 2007. With a high metropolitan environment, infused with artistic and theatrical value and many other attractions for tourists; Des Moines holds a very strong link to the American chain of life.

But what is Des Moines, IOWA really famous for?
Its:
High tolerance of alcohol
Barbecued Ribs
Tattoos
Piercings
Sex Shops
Vandalism
Being the place where Ozzy bit the off a head of a bat
and High Gain, Mind-Blowing, Ear Shattering music.

And this is the place where nine of the most well recognized people in metal music today, with numbers instead of names and rather strange and unique outer identities hail from. With grotesque looking masks hiding their faces and distorted guitars, unorthodox percussion and growling echoes, SLIPKNOT is a name that has withstood time, and criticism to this day.

Formed originally in 1995 Slipknot has undergone comparatively few line-up changes to the current line-up consisting of :

Sid Wilson\ #0 (Turntables)
Joey Jordison\ #1 (Drums)
Paul Gray\ #2 (Bass)
Chris Fehn\ #3 (Percussion)
James Root\ #4 (Guitar)
Craig Jones\ #5 (Samples)
Shawn Crahan\ #6 (Percussion)
Mick Thompson\ #7 (Guitars)
Corey Taylor\ #8 (Vocals)

So what is it about Slipknot that has so much of controversy wrapped in a blanket of Heavy Metal that has all these people talking about?

A huge part of Slipknot criticism revolves around the bizarre masks that the band members wear during each music video and live performance.
Each member of Slipknot has a unique mask that has been slowly evolving since their first Demo launched in 1996, to their 2008 album ‘All Hope is Gone.’ The masks are what front-man Corey Taylor States as “… our way of becoming more intimate with the music. It’s a way for us to become unconscious of who we are and what we do outside of music. It’s a way for us to kind of crawl inside it and be able to use it.”

So what about masks?

Critics rant on about Slipknot masks being attention grabbing, signs of anti-socialism, anti-feminism and Satanism. Slipknot however rejects these claims stating that the masks are used to draw attention away from themselves and focus it on the music. Most fans believe that it’s symbolic and carries the message to be whoever you are, and to not give a shit about what anyone else thinks.
In the 2008 KERRANG iPod video shoot for the song “Psychosocial” Jim Root states that burning of the “Purgatory Masks” Represents the egos of Slipknot.

So what exactly is the purpose of wearing a mask that hides their identities and what do they each mean?

Each of the Slipknot masks is unique and each stands out as symbolism for what a band member believes in. Having different personalities on-stage and a complete other elsewhere is somewhat of a gift. And indeed the majority know them only by their masked faces.

#0

Sid Wilson – Sid is known for wearing a gas mask and when asked he has stated that if he sees a mask somewhere that he likes, he buys it. Known to be the craziest of the band, Sid claims that he suffers from Organic Brain Syndrome and that when he is deprived of oxygen for a short period of time, he is subject to hallucinations; exactly the reason why his mask is a gas mask, symbolizing his trials and how he deals with it.

A mask like Sid Wilson’s can be purchased in any Hardware/Industrial Store.

#1

Joey Jordison – Joey’s Kabuki mask represents the “emotionless” state of his mind. Joey states that once his own mother used to wear a mask similar to his for Halloween after being inebriated.  Joey’s mask has evolved from plain white to later being painted with black to look more sinister with the addition of a crown of thorns.

A mask similar to Joey’s can be made by purchasing a Kabuki mask from an Oriental shop and painting it black. (You will probably have to buy a plastic mask whereas Joey’s is made of Rubber)

#2

Paul Gray – Paul wears a pig face mask sometimes with a padlock pierced through the nose stating his own Indulgent personality. And his 2008 mask is said to represent “Black Death,” and has a whole ‘Hannibal Lecter’ thing going on. However it is uncertain as to how close it is to the actual meaning of the mask.

#3

Chris Fehn – Chris wears a Bondage type “Pinocchio” mask which has about 5 different versions, even on set. The meaning? Chris says that even he does not know what exactly the meaning of his mask is. Made out of two parts with the face including a long nose and the leather head covering; his nose sizes are known to differ from one mask to the other.

#4

Jim Root – Jim’s mask used to be a bondage type hood with purple hair coming out on top, but has gradually evolved over the years from a jester mask into his updated mask which represents the “Prankster.” Simply everything that Jim Root is not, the prankster presents a paradox of the mask and the real Jim.

Jim Root’s mask is not all that hard to make, several web sites have the illustrated versions of Jim Root mask made easy to make at home.

#5

Craig Jones – Perhaps the most silent person among the band members, hardly ever communicating with Interviewers or Live cameras, has a mask that connotes “absolute pain.” This mask is similar to that of racing/diving masks with the modification of long spikes attached to it that wave off with Jones’s head movements. These spikes were believed to be made out of rubber but in more recent statements were revealed to be of a metal substance attached by tape. Getting close enough to inspect it however, could be potentially harmful to ones health.

#6

Shawn Crahan – Crahan is known more by his mask than his real one, with his clown masks over the years being his face, his personality is more known with the mask. Shawn’s mask is said to represent his own imminent death, and by the looks of it he likes it funny.

#7

Mick Thompson – Mick Thompson’s mask has been evolved from what looked to be a very dangerous prisoner mask to his very recent mask which looks like a metal hockey mask, and if you think it’s made out of metal, you’re wrong. It’s actually made out of leather. Mick’s mask represents “hate” and not just any hate but is believed to represent, pure – unadulterated – uncontrolled, hate.

#8

Corey Taylor – Corey’s mask also represents hatred, but to be more specific, hatred conveyed through a metaphorical crash-test-dummy who shouts out its anger with things it couldn’t say for a long time. His earlier mask was made of leather with blonde dreads; but having to pull his hair through the holes for every performance was such a huge hassle that Corey ended up cutting his hair. His most recent masks are made out of latex and his 2003 – 2006 masks were made by turning a real crash-test-dummy heads inside out.

From Slipknots 1996 demo with the band wearing makeup and eventually  the masks of today, Slipknot masks have gained so much of controversy towards the band, but have also been an integral part of their image that aids them in switching to their stage personalities.

And while there have been claims among Mushroomhead fans that Slipknot stole their image of masks,  Slipknot’s band lawyer claims that there have been bands that have incorporated masks and make-up as a part of their stage acts for years; such as Kiss, Mudvayne, and Gwar.

Slipknot however should be given praise for having taken the art of the masks and identity crisis to a whole new level and by their ever resolute statements we can expect the masks to always be a part of the Slipknot show. Regardless of the criticism.

So as any Slipknot fan would say: – Fuck the critics!