Idolator: slipknot

Seven Potential Heirs To Ozzy Osbourne's "Prince Of Darkness" Throne

Al Shipley — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT

When Ozzy Osbourne declared himself "the prince of fucking darkness" on a 2002 episode of The Osbournes, he may as well have simultaneously relinquished the title. The MTV hit quickly dissolved 30 years' worth of mystique and danger as it revealed him to be in reality a doddering old family man. But when Ozzy rose to fame in the '70s, every other rock star had an interest in the occult (or at least Hobbits), and heavy metal was still genuinely thought of as the province of Satanists, not nerdy gearheads. But who could be pop music's reigning prince of darkness in the era of rock star transparency, when every famous musician has a whiny MySpace blog? Since it's Halloween, we decided to think of a few options:

7. Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance
In one sense, Way is a no-brainer; he's the closest thing to a goth rock star we've got these days, someone who dresses in skeleton-themed outfits and writes rock operas about death. But he also comes off a bit too much like the wholesome kid from New Jersey he probably really is to have any real mystique. And when the British press denounced his band and the emo movement as a whole as a "death cult that encourages kids to self-harm," Way vehemently disagreed with that assessment, which speaks well of him as a person, but kind of blows his P.O.D. credentials. Plus, the photo at left clearly states that he is a princess.

6. David Draiman of Disturbed
He's got creepy facial piercings, makes sounds like a rabid monkey when he sings, and fronts a hugely successful metal band. And yet, I have to admit, he still kind of comes off like a schlubby dork.

5. Rihanna
Three years ago, Rihanna was an adorable little Caribbean pop princess, but as she's gotten more successful, her image has unexpectedly evolved from long wavy hair to asymmetrical Aeon Flux bob, from summery booty shorts to leather dominatrix outfits. And you get the feeling that no one at Def Jam told her to look more androgynous or make videos like "Disturbia,". She just really wanted to make a creepy video full of zombies.

4. No. 8 of Slipknot
Just kidding! We all know that under the mask your name is Corey and you look like this.

3. Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
Let's face it, even if Ozzy was the Prince of Darkness, it was Sabbath's guitarist who always exuded a much darker aura. C'mon, the guy looks like a freakin' supervillain.

2. Nick Cave
Sure, Cave is only moderately famous, and he has a bit less mystique now than he did in his Birthday Party days. But he's been on a roll lately, career-wise, and is as committed as ever to looking totally creepy.

1. Lil Wayne
Whether or not he ever becomes the guitar-slinging rock star he seems to want to be lately, Lil Wayne is perhaps the most archetypally kooky, drug-addled superstar in the Ozzy mode on this list, a guy who has tattoos all over his face and says increasingly bizarre shit every time there's a microphone in front of him. All he has to do to cement his title now is bite the head off of a bat. What is a goon to a goblin, anyway?

Slipknot Find A Few Chads Hanging Out Under The Game's Couch

Maura Johnston — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:45:00 EDT

When I saw the SoundScan charts this morning, I felt kind of bad for Slipknot. The masked metallers haven't been having the best string of luck recently, and now their album All Hope Is Gone was narrowly beaten out for the top spot on the album tally by LAX, the new album from tormented name-dropper the Game. How small of a margin did they lose by, you ask? Try 13 sales. Well, apaprently I wasn't the only one who felt bad about this: Slipknot, upon seeing this statistic, gathered up its brooding rage and did what any red-blooded American would do: They demanded a recount from the SoundScan folks. You can probably guess what happened next.

Yes, the SoundScan people found some 1,244 sales hiding within the bowels of their system, or maybe at a neglected Hot Topic somewhere in the 'burbs, and that was enough to give Slipknot the one-week win over the Game. All Hope Is Gone's final sales total is 239,516 to LAX's un-revised 238,382; whether or not the Game is going to further appeal his own SoundScan total is unknown at this point, but surely he's at least comforted by the fact that his first-week sales beat out those achieved by his former cronies in G-Unit earlier this summer.

Slipknot Edges The Game Atop Billboard 200 [Billboard]

It Was Fun While It Lasted, Jonases

Dan Gibson — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:30:00 EDT

It's too close to call next week's No. 1 album, but in all likelihood, it'll be by someone much less palatable to the parents of today: The Jonas Brothers' two-week stay at the top will be thwarted by either the name-dropping MC the Game or the masked metallers Slipknot. Both acts are projecting sales in the quarter of a million area, while Kid Rock and the JoBros fight it out for third with around 80,000 each. The Mamma Mia soundtrack, buoyed by the theatrical release of the movie's sing-a-long version, will likely place fifth, while Lil Wayne, Coldplay, Sugarland, NOW Country, Rihanna, and Staind fight it out for the remainder of the top ten. If the number of Slipknot discs shoplifted from retail outlets were included, it would be a gimme for the Iowans, but we'll have to see how it shakes out in the end on Wednesday. [HITS Daily Double]

Slipknot Release New Album, Still Wear Silly Masks

Dan Gibson — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:45:00 EDT

From time to time, we like to round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. After the jump, we look at the reactions to the new album by famous Iowans Slipknot, whose album All Hope Is Gone arrives in stores today.

• "Happily, Slipknot can pull in these directions and still maintain a new standard of bone-crunching intensity. There are louder metal bands in the world, for sure, but the Iowan nine-piece continue to make the most noise." [The Observer]

• "Sure, there's some navel-gazing: the power ballad 'Snuff,' one of several tracks that continue Vol. 3's move into more melodic drama, tackles a personal trauma that Taylor can't bring himself to name. But Hope's fiercest tunes—the bludgeoning, math-rocky 'Butcher's Hook' and the sludgy, atonal 'Gehenna'—find Slipknot's usual self-loathing and internal hostility becoming even heavier and more powerful when it's turned outward." [Spin]

• "The group's development makes a lot of sense, because the members simply can't target the 'rebellious high-school freshman' demographic forever. In the end, this album is definitely a step in the right direction for the band members, but they haven't quite grown up yet." [The Daily Iowan]

• "In that sense, the slyest thing about this project is the way its sound and vision argue against the album's title. From the instrumental arrangements to the layered levels of meaning in the lyrics, Slipknot Vol. 4 comes across as smarter, deeper, and tougher than ever. And if that's not a cause for hope, we don't know what is." [Revolver]

Update

Maura Johnston — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor comments on the South African kid who went on a sword rampage while wearing a makeshift Slipknot mask: "Obviously, I'm disturbed by the fact that people were hurt and someone died. As far as my responsibility for that goes, it stops there, because I know our message is actually very positive.... You have something like this happen, it could have been Marilyn Manson, it could have been any number of people who make art that is startling visually, on the darker side. It could've been Pat Boone, for Christ's sake. At the end of the day, there are always going to be mental disorders and people who cause violence for no other reason than the fact that they're fucked up and lost. And all we can do is try to learn from it." [Blender Blog]

Slipknot: Pay No Attention To The Man Who Went On A Swordfighting Spree While Dressed Up Like One Of Us

Maura Johnston — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Members of the metal grotesquerie Slipknot are trying to distance themselves from a South African teenager who attacked four people at his school with a sword (!) while wearing a homemade version of one of the band's masks; one person died, while the other three sustained injuries. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a few members of the chattering classes over there are quick to blame the murders on the "Satanic music" the teen listened to in his out-of-school hours, and Slipknot is getting particular scrutiny thanks to the man's choice of costume.

Pierre Eksteen, who is in charge of a school support network for children, said "Satanic" music was probably the cause of the attack.

"He came here camouflaged as the guy from Slipknot. We know the wrong kind of music and drugs have bad effects. Young people need to be informed of the effects of bad Satanic music," said Eksteen.

Thankfully, the superintendent of the school district has a slighly more measured take:

Senior Superintendent Gerard Labuschagne was responding to claims that a matric pupil stabbed a fellow pupil yesterday because "Satan told him to kill the children".

Locals claim the boy was influenced by heavy metal band Slipknot.

But Labuschagne said: "Whenever there is a murder, people jump to conclusions, and always God or Satan told the killers to do it. These notions shouldn't be taken seriously because it is straightforward: someone, of their own free will, can kill another person ."

Oh my gosh, a reasoned response to a tragedy from someone in an official position? What do they put in the water over in South Africa, and can it be shipped here ASAP?

Meanwhile, a rep of the band's label said they want nothing to do with the case, and hey, that mask wasn't necessarily sanctioned Slipknot merchandise! "We've had no confirmation that it was, in fact, a Slipknot mask. The band is not going to respond," the rep told the South African paper The Times. I guess they don't want to even find out which "guy from Slipknot" the killer was dressed up as.

Slipknot: Don't Blame Us [The Times via No Rock And Roll Fun]

Live Nation's Latest $10 Ticketing Day: Long Island Metalheads, Where Have You Gone?

Maura Johnston — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Continuing its fun practice of temporarily discounting concert tickets in the hopes of getting butts into its venues' seats, Live Nation has sent out an e-mail to New York-area mailing list subscribers touting its "Summer Concert Stimulus Package," which cuts the ticket prices for select shows to $10 for one day only and which I would have called the "Business Sucks Sale," because, c'mon, that's a lot funnier and more honest. (And here's the obligatory note that the "convenience" charges added to the tickets after the fact nearly double the listed price, but that little piece of info isn't any fun to pass along, now, is it?) Among the shows are the Slipknot-headlined Mayhem Festival, which also includes Mastodon and Underoath on its bill; Judas Priest shows at both Jones Beach and the PNC Bank Arts Center; some sort of Opie and Anthony-sponsored "comedy" show; and bills that include both Poison and Sebastian Bach. The full list of shows after the jump.

Nikon at Jones Beach
July 30 - Poison with Dokken, Sebastian Bach
Aug 1 - Maroon 5/Counting Crows with Sara Bareilles
Aug 6 - Stone Temple Pilots with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Aug 10 - Judas Priest/Heaven and Hell with Motorhead, Testament
Aug 12 - Boston/REO Speedwagon
Aug 22 - Regeneration 80's Festival: Belinda Carlisle, Human League, Flock of Seagulls, ABC

PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 2 - Opie & Anthony's Traveling Virus: Rich Vos, Jim Norton, Patrice O'Neal, Bob Kelly, Otto George, Mike Birbiglia, Nick DiPaolo, Greg Giraldo
Aug 7 - Maroon 5/Counting Crows with Sara Bareilles
Aug 9 - Judas Priest/Heaven and Hell with Motorhead, Testament
Aug 10 - Boston/Styx
Aug 12 - Ten Dollar Day with Dokken, Sebastian Bach
Aug 22 - Toby Keith with Montgomery Gentry, Carter's Chord, Mica Roberts, Trailer Choir

Nassau Coliseum
Aug 6 - Mayhem Festival: Slipknot, Disturbed, Dragonforce, Mastodon, Underoath, Machine Head, Walls of Jericho, Black Tide, Suicide Silence, The Red Chord, Five Finger Death Punch, 36 Crazyfists, Airbourne

I wonder, if WLIR was still around, would the Regeneration Festival need the help? I guess we'll never know.

[Thanks to ML]

Now That Katy Perry Is Gone, I Can Watch "FNMTV" Again

Dan Gibson — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

The Pete Wentz project FNMTV promises a world of entertainment this week for those of you who aren't seeing Mission of Burma tonight (grrr). This week's all-over-the-place lineup of videos is rather charming—save the inclusion of the madness called Shwayze.

Noted Muslim sympathizers the Jonas Brothers take the stage this week, which is probably a warmup for their appearances on every media outlet known to man in the forthcoming weeks. It's inevitable. We're losing control of our nation to the Jonases, a fate that will only be avoided if Tokio Hotel finally challenges the brothers to a duel.

The videos premiering tonight range from good to interesting to Shwayze.

Shwayze - "Corona & Lime"
Lesley Roy - "I'm Gone, I'm Going"
Slipknot - "Psychosocial"
Nelly - "Body On Me" (featuring Akon and Ashanti)

It's nice to see some metal scheduled in a slot outside of Headbanger's Ball these days, and the Lesley Roy song is enjoyable in a Paramore-light sort of way. I'm dubious about the Nelly track, if only because it's called "Body On Me'" and has both Akon and Ashanti guesting on it.

And then there's Shwayze. I understand that MTV is promoting an entire series featuring Shwayze and his lovable sidekick Cisco Adler, but is anyone asking for more of this guy? There hasn't been an act that's been more pushed down our collective throats, yet shrugged at by the public, in recent memory. Meanwhile, despite the public rejecting Cisco Adler any way it can, he keeps finding a way to sneak his way back into our lives.

Still, Slipknot! Perhaps they'll wear some new new masks.

Who The F's On FNMTV Tonight? [MTV Buzzworthy]

Slipknot: So Bad-Ass, They Had To Partner With AOL Just To Reveal Their New Masks

Maura Johnston — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:30:00 EDT

Sadly, the self-proclaimed "nine man hard rock enigma" Slipknot will not be teetering around stages in their own production of Easter Island Comes Alive! when they tour in support of their forthcoming album, All Hope Is Gone. No, those masks represented their spring collection, and the band is ready to "unveil its new imagery in an exclusive partnership with AOL Music, the web's most trafficked online music destination." You guys, I'm so scared! There's even a—gasp—visitor-length-inflating retrospective photo gallery! What will we tell the children? A shot of the new masks is after the jump.

My favorite one is the guy who looks like a cross between Newlydeads-era Taime Downe and the fly on a pair of leather pants, personally.

New Slipknot Masks - Exclusive [Spinner]
NEW SLIPKNOT MASKS REVEALED TODAY [Imperiumi]

Slipknot's "Psychosocial" Brings The Mustaine

Anthony Miccio — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EDT

ARTIST: Slipknot
TITLE: "Psychosocial"
WEB DEBUT: June 30, 2008

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: The typewriter drums and barky vocals should keep the track from reaching too far outside their cult, but the riffs remind me of classic early-'90s breakthrough metal ("Symphony Of Destruction," Metallica) and the brief bits of melody are way more "Corey" than "No. 8." That guitar solo is pretty Kirk Hammett too; someone a little more familiar with the Iowans' oeuvre should say whether these trad-metal moves have some precedent.

WHERE TO FIND IT:This first single from All Hope Is Gone is supposed to debut online tomorrow, but guitarist Mick Thomson has it streaming on his MySpace page, along with the considerably less commercial title track. Sadly, the new shadows on Slipknot's Web site would imply that the band won't be wearing those previously shown Easter Island heads on stage. Boo.

[via Blabbermouth]

Slipknot's New Masks: They Swear They're Serious

Anthony Miccio — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:45:00 EDT

Extreme metal harlequins Slipknot have a very peculiar image on the front page on their Web site, one that allegedly reveals what their new masks will look like (they're really into masks, if you didn't know). "100% real," says an executive at their label. If this isn't an April fool, and they're actually going to move around stage wearing in those things, I'm impressed. Very Rapa Nui meets 12 Angry Men. Screencap of the masks after the jump, in case you don't want to have your computer bogged down by Flash.

[Slipknot [Official site via Blabbermouth]

Nu-Metalheads Continue Most Irrelevant Band-Beef Of All Time

Brian Raftery — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:08:39 EDT

What? You mean you don't know about the bad blood between clownish hard-rock band Slipknot and the only slightly more clownish hard-rock band Mushroomhead? You must not be a pissed-off 13-year-old. Here's the scoop:

Steve Felton is sick of talking about Slipknot — but he can't help it. The subject inevitably comes up whenever the Mushroomhead drummer talks to a reporter. Ah, the inefficient, catch-up playing MTV.com: They're like the 98 Degrees of music-news sites.
"They're the 'NSYNC of heavy metal," Felton said, sighing. "They're a fabricated, label-made bullsh— band. They're way more corporate than anyone knows."

What he doesn't understand is that, in keeping with music-feud analogies, that would make Mushroomhead the Backstreet Boys of heavy metal—a boost of superiority, mind you, albeit a likely unintentional one.

Anyway, we wish we could give you more info on this feud, but MTV.com's annoying new layout cuts the story off after a few hundred words.

Metal Feed [MTV News]