Vol.3: (The Subliminal Verses) (2004)
After time out post-Iowa to explore different musical avenues (including Stone Sour, Murderdolls and Dirty Little Rabbits), Slipknot reconvened for 2004's superb Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses.
The issues that had haunted the band hadn't cleared away and this was reflected in the still grotesque, dark look the band wore, albeit with their masks decidedly less punishing as they had been during the Iowa run.
Corey Taylor
The dreadlocks were gone by Vol.3, replaced by multicoloured hair, but the stitched up, skinless face remained as Taylor battled personal demons behind the mask. “I was pretty much drunk from the beginning of Iowa until three months into recording Volume 3.”
- “Two years ago, I was robbed in São Paulo. Two guys on motorcycles put a gun to my head”: Slipknot’s Eloy Casagrande explains the hidden meanings in his mask – including that gruesome bullet hole
- “We jumped offstage and took our masks off and started swinging at people at the end of one song”: The wild story of Slipknot vs Mushroomhead, the masked band feud that lit up nu metal
Mick Thomson
The Vol. 3 version of Thomson’s mask was a relatively simple evolution of the first mask that had served him for the first two album cycles. “If you know who you are, you don’t need change. I think I pretty much nailed it with this one for being able to get across how I am,” he said.
Jim Root
Again, Root’s mask does not change much. His is still a sinister jester’s face but by Vol.3 the diamonds around the eyes are darker and the face paler.
Craig Jones
By Vol. 3, Jones’s mask is slightly bigger and the nails protruding from his head are slightly longer, but the general look remains the same: a bondage Pinhead.
Sid Wilson
For Vol.3, Wilson’s mask changed again and became an out and out skull, a traditional skeleton with blackened nose and filthy teeth.
Shawn Crahan
Like some kind of horrific post-operative patient, Crahan’s Vol. 3 Clown mask was a mass of bloody bandages wrapped around his face, featuring a macabre red nose out front. He ripped the top from it after a while to let his hair hang out, making him look all the more like a serial killer.
Chris Fehn
A similar mask to his first two, Fehn’s Vol.3 mask essentially just changed colour – starting to rust then eventually turning red – but remained broadly the same: the long nose and zipper mouth.
Paul Gray
The pig face had gone by Vol. 3 and was replaced by a more human, Hannibal Lecter style mask, with nails acting as a grill across the mouthpiece. Also included a bullet hole because why not?
Joey Jordison
Jordison’s Kabuki mask remained relatively unchanged, but was updated with various different designs and claw slashes for Vol.3. “It’s very difficult to play in the masks sometimes,” he said. “You feel like you’re locked in hell.”
