Slipknot are on course for their first UK no.1 in 18 years

Slipknot press shot
Slipknot (Image credit: Roadrunner Records)

On Friday last week, Slipknot (opens in new tab) released their new studio album We Are Not Your Kind (opens in new tab).

And it would appear the metal masses have been snapping it up in their droves and, as a result, it’s on course to topple Ed Sheeran's four-week stint at the top of the UK charts.

If successful, it’ll be the band’s first UK no.1 since Iowa (opens in new tab) conquered all before it back in September 2001.

The Official Charts website (opens in new tab) report that We Are Not Your Kind is leading the way when it comes to physical sales and digital downloads, although Sheeran has currently racked up more streams than the Iowa heavyweights. 

Will Slipknot succeed? We’ll find out later this week.

While speculation to the identity of Slipknot’s new percussionist, affectionally know as Tortilla Man, goes on, last Friday guitarist Jim Root admitted he was surprised that no one had figured it out yet (opens in new tab).

He said: “It’s weird because I’ve met this guy before, I know who he is, but he’s really kind of elusive, even around our camp. I’ve had some people tell me, ‘Don’t tell us who he is, we’re having fun trying to figure it out!’ 

“So I’m going to keep my mouth shut about all of that and see what happens. Eventually someday someone’s going to figure it out.”

The Metal Hammer cover stars (opens in new tab) are currently on their Knotfest Roadshow with special guests VolbeatGojira and Behemoth.

Slipknot: We Are Not Your Kind (opens in new tab)

Slipknot: We Are Not Your Kind (opens in new tab)
Slipknot's new album We Are Not Your Kind is out now through Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to .5: The Gray Chapter features the singles Unsainted, Solway Firth and Birth Of The Cruel.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He 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 grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.