Slipknot is one of the most successful bands of the twenty-first century, captivating millions with their enigmatic image. Their unique masks, which dominated the metal scene when they first emerged, have since become cultural icons in the music industry as a whole. While their visual identity is frequently the first thing people connect with the band, concentrating only on it would be detrimental to their musical accomplishments and inventiveness.
Throughout their history, Corey Taylor and the band have provided powerful songs that resonated with a new audience in novel ways. The metal of the twentieth century was passed, and the new period required a little more dirt under the fingernails than ever before. With a mix of abattoir rhetoric and deviant choruses, the band rose to stardom.
Admittedly, the American metal band is not the most productive, having only issued six albums in all over its long history. Instead, Slipknot has taken a quality-over-quantity approach, which has clearly paid out handsomely. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1999, has gone on to become one of the most influential metal albums of all time.
Despite only reaching number 51 on the Billboard charts, Corey Taylor and Co’s record went on to earn certified double platinum in the United States, making it the band’s highest-selling record despite subsequent chart-topping albums. The song has a special place in Taylor’s heart because it helped initiate this wild trip that he found himself on and has stood the test of time throughout the years.
In fact, one song on the album is Taylor’s favourite Slipknot song ever – he has never fallen in love with a song as much as he did with ‘Scissors’, which he eulogised about at Knotfest earlier this year to commemorate the album’s 21st anniversary.
“My favourite by far is ‘Scissors’. “To this day, it’s my favourite Slipknot song,” the vocalist admitted. But the actual reason he loves the song so much is that it allowed the band to fully let loose: “I love it because every time we played it, the entire second half was improvised. We played with each other, free form, free prose, and everything. “It was both violent and beautiful,” Taylor proudly declared.
“Nothing will ever replace it for me – when we stopped playing it live, I had a hard time enjoying our sets for a very long time,” he went on to say.
Former drummer Chris Fehn, who was with the band from 1998 to 2019, was speaking with Songfacts and mentioned ‘Scissors’ when asked which song he is most proud of from his time with them. “The song ‘Scissors’ off the first album is sick, bro. It’s simply so terrifying and such a great tune to do live,” Fehn explained.
The music serves as a devastating reminder of Slipknot’s raw power. Since then, the band has entertained a new generation of metalheads. Their masks are as common as the songs they play, but this song transports Taylor and many fans back to a period when Slipknot were not just one of the most innovative bands around, but also founded on a genuine desire to create something utterly new.