Claim: Slipknot is a band.

Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines , Iowa . The band was founded in September 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray . After several lineup changes in its early years , the band settled on nine members for more than a decade : Corey Taylor , Mick Thomson , Jim Root , Paul Gray , Craig Jones , Sid Wilson , Shawn Crahan , Chris Fehn and Joey Jordison . Gray died on May 24 , 2010 , and was replaced from 2011 -- 2014 by former guitarist Donnie Steele . Jordison left the band on December 12 , 2013 . Steele left during the recording sessions for .5 : The Gray Chapter . The band is now touring with replacement musicians Alessandro Venturella on bass and Jay Weinberg on drums . After the departure of Jordison , the only founding member in the current lineup is percussionist Crahan ; the other remaining members of Slipknot have been members since the release of the band 's 1999 eponymous debut album .   Slipknot is well known for its attention-grabbing image , aggressive style of music , and energetic and chaotic live shows . The band rapidly rose to success following the release of their eponymous debut album in 1999 . The 2001 follow-up album , Iowa , although darker in tone , made the band more popular . After a brief hiatus , Slipknot returned in 2004 with Vol . 3 : -LRB- The Subliminal Verses -RRB- , before going on another hiatus and returning in 2008 with its fourth album , All Hope Is Gone , which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart . After another long hiatus , Slipknot released its fifth studio album , .5 : The Gray Chapter , in 2014 . The band has released a live album titled 9.0 : Live , a compilation album titled Antennas to Hell , and four live DVDs .