One of the biggest metal acts of the 2000's, Slipknot began their humble journey in the year 1995. Based out of Des Moines, Iowa, the band was formed by Shawn Crahan, Paul Gray, and Anders Colsefni. Before deciding upon the name of Slipknot, the band had previously gone by the Pale Ones and Meld. They hadn't been signed to any record labels yet, so they decided to self-produce what is now known as Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. on October 31st, 1996.
This album is an enigma. It is the only release that the band has done with the original vocalist, Colsefni. The band had gained some local radio play, but not enough to garner interest from record labels, so they aimed to shift directions and include more melodic singing. This is when the current Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor joins, who had been fronting another Des Moines band in Stone Sour. This meant that Colsefni was no longer the lead vocalist, and took up backing vocals and additional percussion. Then in September of 1997, Colsefni announced that he was leaving the band. Slipknot does not recognize Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. as their debut album, but more of a demo album. There were only 1,000 copies created, and none of the original members even own one themselves. There are a range of influences prevalent, including nu metal, death metal, jazz, funk, and disco. "Gently", "Only One", and "Tattered & Torn" feature on future Slipknot albums, although modified and re-recorded.
To celebrate its 30 year anniversary, Colsefni has announced that he will be performing the album in full along with The Crowz. The show will be on June 6th, 2026 (6/06/26) at Wooly's in Des Moines, the town where it all started. He has performed this album before in October 2023 during the Nu Metal Mayhem Tour. He dedicated those performances to his late Slipknot brethren Paul Gray and Joey Jordison. In 2024, Colsefni announced that he had re-recorded Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. with Kaosis. Taylor has remained supportive of Colsefni performing this album, expressing that he wished he could have been in attendance for the Nu Metal Mayhem Tour shows. Colsefni has admitted that he and Taylor have remained friends since he departed the band in 1997.
Really wish I could be there to see these shows, but I know @anderscolsefni is going to crush them. https://t.co/df0PVItohN
— fuck your checkmark (@CoreyTaylorRock) June 16, 2023
Tickets to the event are available here.
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