Slipknot and Ultra-Violence

Conclusion

Eventually, the cult of Slipknot as a haven for its outsider, misunderstood fans deteriorated as the subculture surrounding the band moved from the fringes to acceptance by the mainstream. Initiated by the end of nu metal, linked to “the summer of 2003, when Limp Bizkit was forced from a stage in Chicago by an audience hurling garbage and chanting, ‘Fuck Fred Durst,’”[1] Slipknot “moved in new directions” and “[focused] on more eclectic song-writing and guitar parts”[2] that created a more radio-friendly sound. This is perhaps best foreshadowed by one of the last singles off their third album, “Vermilion, Pt. 2,” which replaced the band’s traditional style with acoustic and classical instrumentation. Ultimately, the extreme commercial success of the band killed the subculture as “the conversion of subcultural signs (dress, music, etc.) into mass-produced objects (i.e. the commodity form)”[3] normalized the Slipknot brand. Slipknot was on the radio, on TV, in the mall (at least in Hot Topic); they no longer inhabited a space outside the mainstream that allowed their original fans to express their ultra-violence in the same protected way as before. Maggots live on, but no longer in the fringes of what is socially acceptable as more mainstream metal subculture has absorbed what was once a distinct maggot subculture. On the one hand, this more mainstream acceptance led to greater diversity in the fanbase and the ability for the band to take important progressive stances on social issues, prominently including gay marriage, and the band still advertises themselves as a collective for outcasts: Shawn Crahan says “I don’t need the new fan, I need the fan that has anxiety, parents are getting divorced, social problems, gender problems.”[4] However, with this more progressive evolution, Slipknot has scaled back on violent lyrics in a move away from trying to rehabilitate toxic masculinity through art, leaving me to question if their fanbase can still express their ultra-violence in this more sanitized, commercially acceptable environment.
 
[1] Mehling, “Nookie.”
[2] Pradhan, “Anatomy.”
[3] Hebdige, Subculture, 94.
[4] Andrew Trendell, “Here’s Why Slipknot Don’t Want to Play Alongside Foo Fighters at Festivals,” NME, February 13, 2018, https://www.nme.com/news/music/heres-slipknot-dont-want-play-alongside-foo-fighters-festivals-2241004.

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