Slipknot’s self-titled debut album landed on 29 June 1999 like a pipe bomb in the middle of the metal world. Twenty-five years later, that same record – the one that introduced nine masked maniacs from Des Moines, Iowa to the world – has been reimagined in a definitive deluxe edition, Slipknot (25th Anniversary Edition), out now via Roadrunner Records.
The album that spawned classics like “(sic),” “Eyeless,” “Wait and Bleed” and “Spit It Out” didn’t just announce a new band. It signalled the arrival of a cultural shift. Slipknot’s fusion of brutal riffs, turntable chaos, percussive assault and venomous vocals pushed metal into uncharted territory. The record has since gone triple platinum, cementing its place as one of the genre’s most important debuts.
The 25th Anniversary release gives fans a rare look into the making of that landmark album. The collection spans 59 recordings, with 40 previously unreleased, spread across six coloured LPs. It features the original Ross Robinson-produced album, early Indigo Ranch mixes, demos, alternate versions, and live performances from the band’s earliest tours.
Fans will also find nine new collector photo cards and a book of unseen images from the band’s archives. Box set formats sold out almost instantly, including the ultra-rare edition of 100 blood-filled vinyl copies, available only via Slipknot’s secret website. Additional versions include blood-splattered 6LP box sets (limited to 1,899), multiple coloured 2LP editions, 2CD sets, and digital formats across streaming platforms.
What makes the release so compelling is its scope. The Indigo Ranch mixes showcase the raw chaos before Robinson tightened the bolts. The demos reveal the early bones of tracks that would become iconic. Test mixes from producers Jay Baumgardner and Ulrich Wild capture what might have been had the album taken a different direction. And the live recordings—spanning a tiny club in Hartford, Connecticut in 1999 through to major UK stages in 2000—chart how quickly Slipknot went from underground curiosity to global juggernaut.
While the album itself shook the system, Slipknot’s live shows in 1999-2000 are where the legend was forged. Word-of-mouth spread fast as fans tried to describe the sensory overload of nine masked figures battering the stage in synchronised chaos. The deluxe set captures this period in pristine quality, remixed and mastered from soundboard tapes chosen by the band themselves.
The Hartford recordings show Slipknot still clawing their way through the club circuit. The UK and Iowa shows from 2000 reveal a band already able to command festival stages and arena crowds. In the space of a year, Slipknot transformed from an unknown Roadrunner signing into the most talked-about metal band in the world.
Looking back, guitarist Jim Root admits that the band never dreamed beyond just getting the first record out. “We loved what we did with the first record but we didn’t even know if there was gonna be anything after that,” Root recalls. “We just wanted people to hear it. Selling out of records and shows, having successful tours– those are goals for any band. But the dream scenario in some ways, came true for us.”
Slipknot’s rise didn’t just stop with the debut. Across the next two decades, they went on to sell more than 30 million albums and videos, earn 14 platinum and 40 gold certifications, and pick up a Grammy Award in 2006 for “Before I Forget.” Their festival Knotfest, launched in 2012, expanded their empire into a global brand and media hub, all while keeping the focus on the fan community they call “the maggots.”
The band’s most recent Here Comes The Pain world tour underscored their enduring pull. Selling out arenas including Madison Square Garden, London’s O2, Paris’ Accor Arena, Mexico City’s Parque Bicentenario, and their own Knotfest Iowa, Slipknot celebrated their anniversary with setlists that leaned heavily on the debut. Each show was both a homecoming and a reminder of just how potent those early songs remain.
LP 1: Slipknot – Tracklist:
The seminal debut album from Slipknot.
Side 1
742617000027
(sic)
Eyeless
Wait and Bleed
Surfacing
Spit It Out
Tattered and Torn
Me Inside
Side 2
Liberate
Prosthetics
No Life
Diluted
Only One
Scissors
*LP 2 & 3: Indigo Ranch Mixes – Tracklist:
The legendary Indigo Ranch mixes. In 1999 the band gathered at Malibu’s Indigo Ranch to record their breakthrough debut. These early rough mixes showcase the raw energy and chaotic vibe before the final Ross Robinson mixes.
Side 1
(sic)
Eyeless
Surfacing
Tattered and Torn
Side 2
Only One
Liberate
Suck These Nuts (Get This)
Killing Leslie
Side 3
Me Inside
Wait and Bleed
No Life
Interloper (Diluted)
Side 4
Spit It Out
Eeyore
Scissors
LP 4: Demos and Alternate Mixes – Tracklist:
Side One: Demos – These are the original demos recorded before the band entered Indigo Ranch with Ross Robinson. These demos were then refined in the studio to become the debut album. Some of the actual tracks from the demos were used in the final mixes.
Side Two: Jay Baumgardner and Ulrich Wild Mixes – The band and label wanted to have test mixes done before finalizing the album and connected with two other renowned mixers to see what they would do to the mixes. Each has a different take on the tracks.
Side 1
Wait and Bleed (Demo)
Snap (Demo)
Interloper (Demo)
Despise (Demo)
Only One (Demo)
Me Inside (Demo)
Prosthetics (Demo)
Side 2
Surfacing (Jay Baumgardner Mix)
Only One (Jay Baumgardner Mix)
No Life (Jay Baumgardner Mix)
(sic) (Ulrich Wild Mix)
Purity
Eeyore
*LP 5 & 6: Live – Tracklist:
Months after the debut album, the band took to the road and these live recordings showcase the band’s atmospheric rise from headlining Hartford, Connecticut’s legendary 1200 seat Webster Theater in September of 1999, to playing in front of massive crowds in the UK and Iowa in late 2000.
Side 1
Wait and Bleed (Live in Hartford 1999)
Surfacing (Live in Hartford 1999)
Purity (Live in Hartford 1999)
Spit It Out (Live in Hartford 1999)
Eeyore (Live in Hartford 1999)
Side 2
(sic) (Live in the UK 2000)
Eyeless (Live in the UK 2000)
No Life (Live in the UK 2000)
Eeyore (Live in the UK 2000)
Liberate (Live in the UK 2000)
Side 3
Purity (Live in the UK 2000)
Prosthetics (Live in the UK 2000)
Spit It Out (Live in the UK 2000)
Wait and Bleed (Live in the UK 2000)
Get This (Live in the UK 2000)
Side 4
Surfacing (Live in the UK 2000)
Me Inside (Live in the UK 2000)
Scissors (Live in Iowa 2000)
*LP Exclusive To Box Set Only
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow us on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
