Editing Slipknot (album) (section)

==Recording and production==
In 1997, following the band's demo release, ''[[Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.]]'', the members of Slipknot continued to write new material and work in SR Audio, a local studio, with new vocalist [[Corey Taylor]].{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|pp=70–71}} The band began to work on a follow-up, but were never able to go further than pre-production.{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|pp=70–71}} Songs written and recorded in this period include "Slipknot", "Gently", "Do Nothing/Bitchslap", "Tattered and Torn", "Heartache and a Pair of Scissors", "Me Inside", "Coleslaw", "Carve", "Windows", and "May 17".{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|p=78}} In 1998, Slipknot was receiving growing attention from record labels, including [[Epic Records|Epic]] and [[Hollywood Records]].{{sfn|Crampton|2001|p=29}}

On September 29, 1998, Slipknot left [[Des Moines, Iowa]], and relocated at Indigo Ranch Studios in [[Malibu, California]], anxious to record an album after a long wait to be signed.<ref>{{cite book |last=McIver |first=Joel |author-link=Joel McIver |year=2001 |title=Slipknot: Unmasked |publisher=Omnibus |page=58 |isbn=0-7119-8677-0}}</ref>{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|p=104}} During that time, its members attended a show by [[avant-garde metal]] supergroup [[Fantômas (band)|Fantômas]], fronted by [[Mike Patton]] (whom the band already admired from his work with [[Mr. Bungle]] and [[Faith No More]]). Fantômas went on to greatly influence Slipknot's new music.<ref>{{cite web|first=Matt |last=Stocks|url=http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-06-21/joey-jordison-10-best-drummers-slipknot-metallica-slayer-mayhem-mr-bungle|title=Joey Jordison's Top 10 Best Drummers Of All Time|date=June 21, 2016|work=Teamrock.com|access-date=February 14, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622131002/http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-06-21/joey-jordison-10-best-drummers-slipknot-metallica-slayer-mayhem-mr-bungle|archive-date=June 22, 2016|quote=Joey Jordison: Fantômas are the ultimate supergroup, too. When I first heard about them I was like, 'That's my dream band right there. Mike Patton, [[Buzz Osbourne]], [[Trevor Dunn]] and [[Dave Lombardo]]; it doesn't get any better than that.' I watched them play live at [[The Troubadour (Los Angeles)|The Troubadour]] [legendary nightclub in West Hollywood, California], when we were making the first Slipknot record, and I can't even put into words what I saw that night. It was the most insane fucking show I've ever seen; it was magic. You always see one show in your life that you think, 'I wish I could go back and relive that', and that's the show I wish I could go back and see, at The Troubadour in 1998. Of course I've seen Slayer live a bunch of times, and Slayer are one of my favourite bands of all time, but that Fantômas gig showed me that no one can touch that man. So Lombardo is my ultimate drum hero.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=February 14, 2021|url=https://slipknot912fl.tripod.com/articles.htm|title=IGN For Men: Slipknot Interview Part 3|author=Spence D.|quote=Corey Taylor: ... Plus the Fantômas album, it's so good, dude. It's a very acquired taste. We had the privilege of seein' them live when we recorded our album. We were just blown away. We bought [[Fantômas (Fantômas album)|the album]] when it came out and it was exactly like it was on stage, man. If you can, definitely check it out. And listen to it with an open fucking mind. It makes [[Mr. Bungle|[Mr.] Bungle]] look like [[Lawrence Welk]]. It's that fucked-up.}}</ref> After recording a new demo, Slipknot released it to prospective labels and producers; the track "[[Spit It Out (Slipknot song)|Spit It Out]]" was the main focus in it and, with help from their manager Sophia John, they were able to supply a copy of the eponymous demo to [[Ross Robinson]].{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|pp=82–93}} The band wanted him to work with them on their debut album, and, after meeting with the band, Robinson signed them to his own label, I Am, but later helped sign them to [[Roadrunner Records]].{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|pp=82–93}}[[File:Fantomas Band (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Avant-garde metal]] band [[Fantômas (band)|Fantômas]] was a major influence on ''Slipknot''.]]

The album's recording process was "very aggressive and chaotic", as producer Robinson strove to capture the intensity that the band created when performing live. Within three days all the drums were recorded, which contributed to the raw, live sound on the album that the band considered integral to its musical direction.{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|pp=105–110}} Robinson played a big part in the stylistic change of the band, convincing them to cut off the more experimental sections and guitar solos in favor of a straightforward metal sound.<ref name=KindaMuzik>{{cite web|first=Bart |last=Nijssen|location=Amsterdam, Netherlands |url=http://www.kindamuzik.net/interview/slipknot/slipknot/409/ |title=Slipknot |work=KindaMuzik |date=December 20, 1999 |access-date=September 26, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816044931/http://www.kindamuzik.net/interview/slipknot/slipknot/409/|archive-date=August 16, 2016}}</ref> By November 11, 1998, the recording of the album seemed complete and the band returned to Des Moines.{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|pp=112–114}} During the [[Christmas]] period, guitarist [[List of Slipknot band members|Josh Brainard]], who recorded on all the tracks to that point, left the band. The reasons for his departure were unclear; it was widely thought to have been because of family constraints. However, Brainard dispelled these rumours, explaining that "some decisions were made that I wasn't particularly happy with."<ref>{{cite book |last=McIver |first=Joel |author-link=Joel McIver |title=Slipknot: Unmasked (Again) |publisher=Omnibus |year=2003 |pages=61–63 |isbn=0-7119-9764-0}}</ref> His replacement was [[Jim Root]], with whom the band returned to the studio in February 1999.{{sfn|Crampton|2001|p=35}} Slipknot finished recording during this period, with one new track called "[[Purity (Slipknot song)|Purity]]". The mixing stages turned out to be very challenging, as drummer [[Joey Jordison]] and producer Robinson mixed the entire album with analog equipment, instead of the then more common method of using digital formats.{{sfn|Arnopp|2001|pp=115–121}} "[[Wait and Bleed]]" and "Spit It Out", which also appeared on the demo prior to the album, were released on the album, also; the demo songs "Interloper" and "Despise" are available on the digipak version of the same album.