Slipknot

Slipknot: Sore Winners

noah | February 13, 2009 3:00 am
noah | February 13, 2009 3:00 am

Late last summer, Slipknot’s All Hope Is Gone and The Game‘s LAX engaged in a SoundScan battle to the death, almost. Initial returns had LAX ahead of the masked Iowans on the albums chart by a mere 13 copies, but a hasty recount put Slipknot in the drivers’ seat, with a victory margin of 1,134 albums sold. You’d think the metallers would feel satisfied that they’d pulled out a victory at the last minute, wouldn’t you? Obviously, you don’t know the psyches of the men behind the masks.

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80 ’08 (and Heartbreak): Announcing Idolator’s Year-End Extravaganza

Michaelangelo Matos | December 31, 2008 12:45 pm
Michaelangelo Matos | December 31, 2008 12:45 pm

What were the 80 most important musical recordings, artists, trends, events, and performances of 2008? What were the eight things this year that broke our hearts—or, at least, our ears? We’re happy to announce 80 ’08 (and Heartbreak), Idolator’s year-end overview. The list is below the jump.

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Sure, “Womanizer” Is The Best Video Of The Year. Why Not?

Dan Gibson | December 16, 2008 12:30 pm
Dan Gibson | December 16, 2008 12:30 pm


The music video channel that could Fuse had been running its “Top 40 of 2008” special over the last few days, but I just couldn’t bring myself to watch—Katy Perry wasn’t just performing two songs, she was co-hosting the whole thing. The premise was amusing, matching the year’s “best” videos against each other head-to-head, tournament style, but in the end, it just turned into a battle of who could mobilize their fan club to the greatest effect. Guess what? Even through it all, the followers of Britney can come through in the clutch.

THE GOOD: Paramore defeating the Offspring, Staind and Linkin Park before running into a train called “Womanizer” (and losing by four million votes in the finale)? Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” and Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” losing in the first round? That’s about all the good news I have, really.
THE BAD: Disturbed won two rounds of voting. Disturbed. In 2008. Two rounds.
THE WHAAA? While the video for “Vida La Vida” is not something Hype Williams should add to his demo reel, losing to Secondhand Serenade isn’t a fate Coldplay should be forced to suffer.

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No. 69: Hanging Chads, Scary Masks, And The Exposed Midriffs Of The Pussycat Dolls

noah | December 10, 2008 1:00 am
noah | December 10, 2008 1:00 am

In the current music climate, first-week sales are more important than ever—not so much as a predictor of future success, but a way for artists to claim a high “peaked at this spot on the charts” number, what with the cycle of promotion for 99.9% of cultural products screeching to a halt on said items’ release date. For two relatively high-profile releases in 2008, the test, then, became trying to find as many sales as possible during that first week so as to ensure a high-enough chart position for said acts to at least seem kind of relevant for a day or so. (Al Franken and Nicole Scherzinger, together at last!)

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Seven Potential Heirs To Ozzy Osbourne’s “Prince Of Darkness” Throne

Al Shipley | October 31, 2008 11:00 am
Al Shipley | October 31, 2008 11:00 am

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:

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

noah | September 3, 2008 2:45 am
noah | September 3, 2008 2:45 am

whowonthegame.jpgWhen 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.

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It Was Fun While It Lasted, Jonases

Dan Gibson | August 29, 2008 11:30 am
Dan Gibson | August 29, 2008 11:30 am

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. More »


Slipknot Release New Album, Still Wear Silly Masks

Dan Gibson | August 26, 2008 12:45 pm
Dan Gibson | August 26, 2008 12:45 pm

AllHopeIsGonecover.jpgFrom 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.

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

noah | August 20, 2008 11:30 am
noah | August 20, 2008 11:30 am

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.

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Update

noah | August 20, 2008 3:30 am
noah | August 20, 2008 3:30 am

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. More »


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