.6 We Are Not Your Kind (2019)
On Thursday May 16, 2019, the brand spanking new masks for the band's brand new album, We Are Not Your Kind, were released.
Corey had a facelift, Clown had gone all robotic, Pinhead has grown a mohawk, Sid has morphed into Emperor Palaptine and the two newbies have rebranded themselves with unique identities - lots to unpack for the next era of Slipknot's evolution.
Corey Taylor
There's been a fair amount of controversy surrounding Corey's new mask. Everyone had high hopes when the vocalist announced he was working with SFX veteran Tom Savini, but what he emerged with divided fans.
Some commented that it's "garbage" and he looks "like a chipmunk" – the comically oversized cheeks and roll-neck/scarf to help disguise them are perhaps not helping such reactions.
One Reddit user commented that it "looks like a bloated corpse that's been pulled fresh out of the river" – which is perhaps more of the vibe he was going for. However, we think he's a victim of rather extreme facial plastic surgery.
But, to us his transparent mask looks like something you'd don post-op after facial plastic surgery with a morbid twist à la Eyes Without A Face – he's left rotting underneath.
Thanks to the fans reactions, Corey commented on the mask: "I wanted it to feel like it was something that was created in someone’s basement – something that was made specifically to fuck with people."
Mick Thompson
Good ol' Mick, Mr. Reliable... He's barely changed a bit. We like the familiarity, we can identify him easily, right?
Jim Root
Jim's mask is creeping further and further away from that original jester-styled facade, and this time he's most definitely channeling Phantom of the Opera.
This new mask is less creepy than the previous incarnation and undeniably the sexiest mask – check out those cheekbones! – but not exactly the scariest.
Craig Jones
This album, Jones has been to a nail technician and had those bad boys styled. He's rocking an hard as nails mohawk... Okay I'll stop with the puns now (maybe).
Sid Wilson
Sid has made a drastic leap from his previous looks, this time he's opted for prosthetics, completely altering his own features and ensuring most of the focus is on those every-changing, yet always terrifying grills.
It almost looks as though he's supporting some form of creepy transparent mouth guard, and a cape that is seemingly modelled on Emperor Palaptine. We dig it.
Shawn Crahan
Clown always updates his look, and this time it's nice and shiny... yet still, undeniably... a clown. Can't say it's his most fearsome look but he's definitely bringing the bling to the bunch.
Alessandro Venturella
It looks like Venturella has truly been able to put his stamp on his second mask and it's now distinctly different from Jay's.
A rather brawny, ornate metallic mask, the detailing looks part-baroque and part-muscular. With its rigid metal framing, it is almost reminiscent of a medieval iron masked executioner, albeit with a little more flare, and crossed with a lucha libre.
He's replaced the formerly zipped up mouth with a square grill.
Jay Weinberg
Goodbye zipper-mouth, hello creepy staples! A nice little nod to the late Paul Gray, this new look conjures up a slightly Hannibal Lector sorta vibe. With his long hair he has a very Joey Jordison circa All Hope Is Gone vibe... sorta like a satanic Jesus.
Michael Pfaff (Tortilla Man!)
It took a few years, but Tortilla Man's identity was finally revealed in March 2022 when Slipknot revealed that the percussionist who had replaced Chris Fehn was none other than Michael Pfaff, a musician who had previously collaborated with Shawn Crahan in Dirty Little Rabbits.
Tortilla Man's mask might have been simple (looks like a tortilla - geddit?), but it did a fine job of obscuring the musician's identity for the better part of three years. Plus it has that undeniable Slipknot capacity for turning your stomach - sure its a tortilla, but by no means does it look edible...
