From 2000: GW explores the world of Slipknot, where concerts are war zones and riffs can kill.

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Practically nothing in Slipknot's evolution was the result of carefully considered thinking. Even the decision to wear masks and coveralls -- outfits that are critical to the group's image and a badge of its nonconformist stance -- happened by chance. "We were practicing one evening, years ago, and Shawn came in and put on this clown mask -- just started jamming with it on," says Gray. "It was creepy as fuck, but also very cool." Shortly after, each member began to create his own mask. "It just seemed like the most natural thing in the world at the time."

Each member's mask developed in its own way. For Root, it was simply a matter of buying a jester's mask, cutting it up, sewing it back together, stitching on a zippered mouth and riveting on some straps. Taylor, on the other hand, started out wearing the slashed-up "face" from a crash test dummy, his blond dreadlocks sticking out of holes in the top. "But that mask started to melt on me during OZZfest," he says. "So I decided to shave my head and glue my dreads onto the new mask."

While the decision to wear masks came quickly, the coveralls took a little longer. "Mick once wore a Little Bo Peep dress," says Root. "Corey wore a priest's outfit and Shawn wore coveralls spattered in paint. I don't remember who thought of it, but we decided that the coveralls would bring a tribal sense to the band that we needed."

Last of all were the numbers. "We each just fell into our own number," says Taylor. "No one fought over a number; no one even wanted the same number. It was perfect."

In 1996, Slipknot released the self-produced album Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. Despite the group's cynical view of the music industry, the album attracted the attention of several major labels and industry insiders, like producer Ross Robinson, whose clients include Limp Bizkit and Korn. Through his imprint, I Am Records, Robinson brought Slipknot to Roadrunner Records, then took the group into Indigo Ranch Studios in Los Angeles to record the Slipknot album.

"Ross really kicked our ass during those sessions," says Thomson. "We're a tough band full of messed up, aggressive people. But he whipped us into shape. Just listen to the end result."

With the album's release, Slipknot launched into a heavy touring schedule, the highlight of which came at last summer's OZZfest. Thomson believes the group's success is in part due to the willingness of mainstream audiences to embrace harder music. He credits bands like the Deftones and, in particular, Korn with preparing radio stations and their listeners for the aural brutality that makes up a typical Slipknot track.

"I'm not really into Korn," says the guitarist. "But look at it this way: I used to watch lots of gore movies, lots of 'true death' videos. And at first, sure, I was disturbed by what I saw. But after a while, I became numb to it. With hard music, it's the same way. People listened to Korn, and now they want something even harder. It's like a drug."

Slipknot's members have themselves developed a more mature approach to their craft. "We've realized that you don't need to have the 'Bon Jovi' stage lighting.to have a good show," says Taylor. "You can just get up there and do what you do, the way you do it, and if you're honest with yourself and with your audience, they will react to you."

"The most important thing is that we connect with our audience," adds Thomson. "We'll fuck with them, and then I'll find some punk in the crowd who's staring at me and giving me the finger and shit. I'll just give him a look and then see how quickly that finger drops. Because -- and I've seen it again and again -- the bands that can't connect to their audiences are the bands that you eventually see on Where Are They Now?"

But while so much emphasis is placed on Slipknot's outfits and stage act, the fact that its members are also musicians tends to get overlooked, not only by the media but even by the fans.

“Man, I’m a born shredder,” says Thomson, with unabashed pride. "Yngwie Malmsteen is a fuckin' god. I could listen to his shit for hours. You can hear every single note he plays. Sure, anyone can be fast and sloppy, but he just nails it. You can even hear the way his pick hits the strings on his guitar. That's good."

Thomson has been playing guitar for 16 years, and prior to Slipknot's success, was a guitar instructor. "People think our music is so simple to play, and I have to laugh," he says. "Sure, it may sound straightforward, but a lot of it is pretty... strange. It's a bit more complicated than people assume."

But simple or not, the songs take precedence over guitar histrionics. "I'd love to work some shred stuff into our music," says Thomson. "My death metal band was full of really technical guitar work. But the fact is, it never felt right for these songs. And the song has got to take priority. Too many guitarists forgot about that in the Eighties. The key is to be selective about how you use it." As an example, he points to a riff from his death metal days that he modified and stuck in the middle of "Surfacing." "That's as close to shredding as I get on this album," says Thomson. "But I think it works really well. Besides, there's always our next album."

Like every aspect of Slipknot, songwriting is a collaborative and ever-evolving process. Typically, the "core group" -- Thomson, Root, Jordison and Gray -- will work out a song's primary structure. Later, when the band gets together for rehearsal, elements such as percussion, DJ beats or sampled material will be added as the group feels they are necessary. ''Just because we have a DJ doesn't mean that he plays on every song," says Thomson. "If he's needed, great. If not, we don't force it. But we're willing to try anything out before it gets rejected."

Often, songs develop in the course of jamming or just fooling around with a riff. " 'Spit It Out' was that way," acknowledges Thomson, "whereas 'Eyeless' started with a beat that Sid was kicking out from his turntables. I started playing that weird little noise line over it, and the next thing we knew, the song was written."

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