Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson stated in an interview (via Guitar World ) that he recorded solos for the band's debut album, Slipknot (1999), but that they were cut from the album by producer Ross Robinson and Joey Jordison , the band's founder and drummer at the time.
According to Thompson, the reason for removing the guitar solos from the band's final material was due to the trends of the time, where nu metal was popular and guitar solos were out of fashion, giving way to riffs with low tunings.
The guitarist recalls: “I had some solos in songs, but they were all cut, because between Ross and Joey, guitar solos are stupid now. Any kind of guitar playing technique was ridiculed and frowned upon.”
Mick also shared how he felt about the cuts: “I understand, but it sucked. Because it was one of those things where I was like, ‘I’ve spent my whole life playing and now I’m here and… no. Forget it. It’s all over. Just take it all away from me. It’s fine. It doesn’t matter that I sat in my room for years, obsessed and trying to do anything, and now I’m here and… no.’”
Despite the album featuring several crushing riffs, Thomson details that various guitar lines were left out: “So, yeah, they took out the main lines. The song '(sic)' used to be called 'Slipknot' and there was a main line in it, and then there were solos in some other crap. But they were squeezed out.”
Although Thomson reluctantly understood the decision to remove his soils, he didn't offer much resistance to keeping them: "What can I do? Throw a tantrum?"
The Influence of Ross Robinson
This was Ross's first contribution to Slipknot. He also produced the band's second album, Iowa , in 2001. Robinson, who is known as the "godfather of nu metal," was crucial to the group's musical direction, something that persists to this day.
In an interview (via Peer Pleasure Podcast ), the producer describes the album as "the heaviest thing I've probably ever done," and recalls: "Roadrunner wasn't helping the situation at the time. I was in charge of all the studio time. I even put down a deposit on the studio. I sent Mick to the dentist and paid for everything. Whatever it was, rehearsals, the rehearsal space, I was in charge of everything until we were almost starting to mix."
Besides Slipknot, Ross also worked with other nu metal bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit , or bands that flirted with the subgenre at the time, such as Sepultura ( Roots ) and Machine Head ( The Burning Red ).
Slipknot album was very well received by critics and helped propel the band to stardom. This year Slipknot is celebrating the album's 25th anniversary and will be performing a show with a set dedicated to it at Knotfest Brasil on the 20th of this month, playing the album in its entirety.
READ ALSO: 14 classic Slipknot songs: from 1999 to today
