In the autumn of 1999, in the company of this writer, Paul Harries became the first British photographer to visit Slipknot at home in Iowa, in order to shoot their debut UK magazine cover: he has been on hand to document their journey ever since.
While photos of drummer Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan stabbing bloodied goat skulls are unlikely to convince doubters that Slipknot are one of modern metal’s most cerebral and artistic collectives, Harries’ sensitive, striking imagery humanises the men behind the masks, and captures the camaraderie amid the chaos, not least in a touching shot showing late bassist Paul Gray and frontman Corey Taylor in a pre-show hug.
Taylor himself writes of “a trust that has to exist between the lens and the light” and the intimacy of Harries’ portraits serves to illustrate that in gaining the respect of this unconventional unit, he’s become an integral part of the family.
