Joey Jordison on Slipknot’s debut album: There’s nothing out there quite like it

Slipknot in their early days
Slipknot in their early days (Image credit: Mick Hutson/Redferns - Getty)

Yesterday marked the 21st anniversary of Slipknot’s 1999 debut album.

The Iowa heavyweights launched the record on an unsuspecting world on June 29 that year – and in a new Instagram post, the band’s former drummer Joey Jordison has reflected on its legacy and what it means to him all these years later.

Jordison says: “It’s almost hard to believe how these years have flown by like blast beats. That album was and will always be some of the absolute best memories of my life. 

“There’s nothing out there quite like it, and what it did for all of us and the metal world. It made all of our dreams come true, and the overall reaction from the fans almost collapsed venues and stadiums worldwide. 

“We didn’t expect it, but it absolutely exploded! We were so determined, hungry, and ready to take on the world and we did. We feared no one, and it showed when we took the stage. 

“It was just ‘that’ time. Total mystery it was. Thank you to Monte Conner, Dave Rath and all at Roadrunner Records... Sophia John, Ross ‘The King’ Robinson and Chuck Johnson. 

“To the fans, you guys made this happen for all of us, and I dedicate this anniversary to you! Metal Forever. Thank you eternally!”

Metal Hammer have marked the anniversary of Slipknot’s first recored with a feature titled The Inside Story Of The Debut Album That Shook The World.

Last Friday, Slipknot celebrated the album’s anniversary by showing their seminal home movie collection Welcome To Our Neighborhood. The broadcast was part of their ongoing Knotfest Online events.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.