It's hard to believe, but when Slipknot first crawled out of the badlands of Iowa they were torn apart by journalists and fans alike, their masks earning them a novelty act tag that wouldnt be shaken off until second album Iowa obliterated all opponents. Equally, their use of samples, synths, keyboards and turntables irritated the purists for whom metal was about one singular entity: the riff. Seventeen years and five platinum albums later, the band are considered not only one of the best of their generation but true pioneers, a ragtag mob of freaks who took on the notoriously hard to please metal genre and won. Weaving hip hop, psychedelia and even a little pop into their molten metal broth, the nine-piece plugged away until even the most hardened cynic had to admit that their talent, drive and innovation, not to mention sheer brutality, might actually make them one of the most important bands ever. Bolstered by a phenomenal live show, the band reversed their novelty reputation with ease.
