Formed in Des Moines in 1995 by Shawn Crahan, Slipknot were to become one of the most extreme metal bands of the 20th/21st century. Through many lineup changes the band settled on being a nontet.

      Their earlier stage acts involved the band members urinating and masturbating all over each other, setting each others clothes on fire and sniffing rancid animal corpses and although this may have been a method of gaining publicity and attention, it worked.

      The 'Knot are one of the most popular underground bands today and with the release of the single 'Left Behind', began to succeed with their aim of bringing heavy music to the public eye. They have adopted dumbers for their names and have calmed down their stage act, but retained the most spectacular features; raising platforms, rotating drum kits, fireballs, and Sid #0 defying the laws of gravity.