Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, drummer Joey Jordison and bassist Paul Gray. After several lineup changes in its early years, the band settled on nine members for more than a decade: Crahan, Jordison, Gray, Craig Jones, Mick Thomson, Corey Taylor, Sid Wilson, Chris Fehn, and Jim Root. Bassist Gray died on May 24, 2010, and was replaced during 2011–2014 by Donnie Steele. Jordison was dismissed from the band on December 12, 2013. Steele left during the recording sessions for .5: The Gray Chapter. The band found replacements in Alessandro Venturella on bass and Jay Weinberg on drums. After the departure of Jordison, as of December 2013 the only founding member in the current lineup is percussionist Crahan. Fehn was also dismissed from the band in March 2019 prior to the writing of We Are Not Your Kind and was replaced by Michael Pfaff. The band parted ways with Jones in 2023.
Stone Sour was an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000 and since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor, Josh Rand (guitar), Christian Martucci (guitar), Johny Chow (bass) and Roy Mayorga (drums). Longtime members Joel Ekman and Shawn Economaki left the band in 2006 and 2011, respectively. Former lead guitarist Jim Root left in 2014. The band has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2020.
Charles Robert Simpson, known professionally as Charlie Simpson, is an English singer, musician and songwriter from Suffolk. He is a member of the pop-punk band Busted and he is also lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the post-hardcore band Fightstar. AllMusic has noted that Simpson is "perhaps the only pop star to make the convincing transition from fresh-faced boy bander to authentic hard rock frontman". Simpson is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, keyboard, piano and drums.
Ian Ryan Grushka is an American musician and songwriter. He is a founding member and the bassist of Florida rock band New Found Glory. He was also the bassist in the band's now defunct side-project, the International Superheroes of Hardcore, where he performed under the pseudonym of "Sgt. Soy".
Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generally considered a post-hardcore band as a whole, Fightstar are known to incorporate metal, alternative rock and other genres into their sound. During the band's early days, they were viewed sceptically by critics because of Simpson's former pop career with Busted. Their live shows got a more positive reaction, and their 2005 debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was a critical success.
They Liked You Better When You Were Dead is the debut EP by English rock band Fightstar, released on 28 February 2005 through Sandwich Leg Records. The release proved a critical success, in spite of the cynics' initial expectations of the band. It has been said that the EP helped "present Fightstar as a British rival to the East Coast alternative rock scene". Alex Westaway, the band's lead guitarist and co-lyricist drew the artwork based on Edward Norton for the inlay of the booklet, as the record was inspired by author Chuck Palahniuk and the film adaptation Fight Club.
Paul Dedrick Gray, also known as The Pig, was an American musician who was the bassist, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #2.
Donnie Steele is an American heavy metal musician. He is best known as one of two original guitarists in Slipknot. Steele co-founded Slipknot in 1995, performing on the band's debut demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.. He left in 1996 and was replaced by Craig "133" Jones, but later rejoined in 2011 as the touring bassist following the 2010 death of Paul Gray. Steele was part of the recording sessions for the band's 2014 album .5: The Gray Chapter, but left at some point before the album was finished and was replaced by Alessandro Venturella. According to Jim Root, some of Steele's bass tracks were used for the album though he did not specify which tracks feature Steele on bass.
Grand Unification is the debut studio album by British post-hardcore band Fightstar, released on 13 March 2006 through Island Records. Based upon the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Grand Unification was produced by Colin Richardson and is considered a concept album. The artwork, drawn digitally by Daniel Conway, portrays scenes similar to that of the ruined cities in Evangelion. It is also thought to believe the cover has taken influence from the song "Grand Unification Part 2" as the lyric "hold my hand until the waves come" and the cover features two persons holding hands waiting for what appears to be a flood. The lyrics are themed around social commentary at the end of the world, while the album's title refers to the Human Instrumentality Project.
Dirty Little Rabbits was an American alternative rock band formed in 2007 in Johnston, Iowa. They are often referred to as a side project of Shawn Crahan, a member and founder of heavy metal band Slipknot. The band has not been active since 2010. Also known as the side project of Stella Soleil of Sister Soleil fame.
"Psychosocial" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone (2008). The song entered airplay on June 26, 2008 and was originally planned for release as a digital single on July 1 but was delayed and released on July 7. Slipknot performed "Psychosocial" live for the first time on July 9, 2008, at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington. In 2008, the song was featured on the soundtrack to Marvel's Punisher: War Zone.
Asking Alexandria are an English rock band formed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and now based in York, North Yorkshire, consisting of guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, lead vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley.
New Device are a UK-based hard rock band, established in late 2007. The band's style is rooted in classic rock of the 1980s, influenced by bands such as: Aerosmith, Skid Row, Metallica and Guns N' Roses. They first gained a modicum of fame via their Myspace site, when they uploaded early demos which were successfully received by fans.
First Signs of Frost is an English post-hardcore/tech rock band from South East London. Forming in July 2004, the four piece originally conformed by songwriter / guitarist and vocalist Owen Hughes-Holland along with guitarist Adam Mason, bassist Dan Oehlman and drummer William Gates. After embarking on numerous tours the band made a significant impact on the UK's underground rock scene.
Motionless in White is an American metalcore band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2004, the band consists of lead vocalist Chris "Motionless" Cerulli, guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky "Horror" Olson, drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Justin Morrow. Cerulli is the only member of the original line-up that remains in the band. The group has stated that their band name derived from the Eighteen Visions song "Motionless and White".
Alessandro "Vman" Venturella is a British musician who is the current bassist for American heavy metal band Slipknot. He previously has served as a lead guitarist for Krokodil and Cry for Silence. Earlier in his career, he was the touring guitar tech for Mastodon's Brent Hinds, Coheed and Cambria, Architects, and Fightstar.
As It Is are a British-American rock band based in Brighton, England. The band was formed in 2012, and signed to Fearless Records in 2014. The group consists of lead vocalist Patty Walters and lead guitarist Ronnie Ish.
Cry for Silence were a British heavy metal band. They influenced and toured with a number of other bands.
Sinsaenum is a multinational blackened death metal supergroup, formed in 2016. The band features French guitarists Frédéric Leclercq and Stéphane Buriez, American vocalist Sean Zatorsky in a co-lead role with Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar, and French bassist Heimoth. Up until his death in late July 2021, American drummer Joey Jordison performed drum duties. Sinsaenum released their debut album Echoes of the Tortured in July 2016.
