Slipknot appear on the cover of the Fall 2024 Issue — head to the AP Shop to grab a copy.
Slipknot have been celebrating the 25th anniversary of their incendiary self-titled debut album all year. The landmark LP captured a distinct time and place for the nü-metal vets, where they were both on the cusp of burning down everything around them while ascending toward the stratosphere. “The [fans] could tell it was real. They could tell it came from a place that understood what it was like to be marginalized,” bandleader Corey Taylor reflects in our latest cover story. “We were so fucking hungry we would have eaten through the backs of people’s heads.” As the band continue their anniversary run this year, we turned to our readers and asked them to rattle off the best Slipknot songs of all time. These are the top picks, ranked accordingly below.
Read more: Fan poll: 5 best nü-metal bands of all time
5. “Vermilion”
Along with its companion piece, the ghostly ballad “Vermilion Pt. 2,” the Subliminal Verses cut displayed Slipknot as a force. The song is all surging conviction, technicality, and ambition, particularly for late members Paul Gray and Joey Jordison. Centering around a dark romance fit for a horror flick, it erupts with energy, from the rapturous guitar solo to Taylor’s cries during the choruses. Two decades later, “Vermilion” is still absolutely chilling.
4. “Psychosocial”
Usually a band’s most popular songs become the most despised by their fans, but “Psychosocial” remains totally beloved. After all, by the time Slipknot unleashed All Hope Is Gone in 2008, they were already giants. From the jump, though, “Psychosocial” embodied everything that makes Slipknot great. It’s a percussive slammer with a burning chorus (“And the rain will kill us all”), designed to be shouted back by swarms of fans — as well as a testament to how far they’d traveled from their early beginnings in Iowa.
3. “Duality”
The lead single for Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) is hailed by Maggots as one of Slipknot’s greatest moments. Prior to its release, the band had taken time off, and solo projects from individual members had cropped up, sending out ripples of uncertainty. However, when Slipknot kicked off this fresh era with “Duality,” there was no doubt. In one tremendous feat, both the song and its accompanying video, which featured loads of people ripping apart a house, confirmed that Slipknot hadn’t lost any of their might. “Duality” is a metal anthem for the ages.
2. “(sic)”
Of course the song that inspired the name of their Here Comes the Pain tour had to make this list. “(sic”) is an eternal fan favorite and a staple of the band’s live shows, having been played hundreds of times. Coming from their 1999 self-titled, the track features Taylor’s molten, rapid-fire vocals, vinyl scratching, and a sample from Carlito’s Way as everything crumbles around them. In fact, “(sic)” was one of the first songs that Slipknot recorded with the late Jordison in the fold, which you can hear in its slamming percussion.
1. “Eyeless”
Are you surprised? This 1999 burner embodies the band’s hunger more than any other track — as well as what captivated so many fans early on. Featuring Sid Wilson’s scratchy turntablism and stuffed with raw lyrics about the absence of Taylor’s father and being a teenage addict, the Slipknot bandleader puts on a hell of a vocal performance. So many years later, “Eyeless” captures such a rippling moment within the band’s canon. Just remember: You can’t see California without Marlon Brando’s eyes.
