MusicHow Slipknot was the target of hate from other bands on their first big tourMascarados played on the secondary stage of Ozzfest in 1999, shortly before releasing their debut album and gaining fametoday at 08:00

In 1999, few people knew about the Slipknot. This would soon change with the band’s inclusion in the traveling festival Ozzfestpromoted in particular by Sharon Osbournewife and businesswoman Ozzy Osbourne. On the tour, the masked men gained not only fame, but also the dislike of other artists.

That’s what the guitarist says Jim Root and the percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan. The musicians recalled their first Ozzfest during an interview for Metal Hammer.

Without mentioning names, Root He told what he heard from other musicians present at the festival. Names like Black Sabbath, Slayer, Deftones, Primus, Godsmack, Fear Factory, system of a Down, Rob Zombie, Static-Xamong others, were cast.

The musician stated:

They said directly to our faces: ‘you won’t last long’. Or: ‘you’ll be lucky if you sell 6 thousand records’. It was kind of mental torture. It shows how competitive the scene could be at that time.”

THE Slipknot played on the secondary stage of the Ozzfest. Their self-titled debut album just a few months after the festival dates.

With that, the band had the idea of ​​distributing free cassette tapes with two tracks from the album, to help promote the shows and the record. At some point, they were told to stop doing this, but Clown He was so angry with the situation and the treatment he received that he decided to continue.

The percussionist said:

I said, ‘screw this, I can’t let these tapes go to waste.’ I thought, ‘We’re not going to get kicked off the tour (for this), and if I have to apologize later, I’ll do it.’ And everywhere I went, all I heard was our tape being played in hundreds of cars.”

Sharon Osbourne, the savior

THE Slipknot had only agreed to stop the distribution of tapes out of respect for Sharon Osbourne. The organizer of Ozzfest always supported the band.

Proof of this occurred at another time in 1999, when the masked men participated in the Livin La Vida Loco Tour. The turn also brought Machine Head, Amen and Dopein addition to the Coal Chamber – managed by his wife Ozzy – as headliner.

Jim Root believes that his group suffered sabotage attempts and expulsion from the tour over time, but Sharon intervened. According to the guitarist:

We were off balance, and I think there were moves to kick us off the tour more than once. But Sharon Osbourne it said: ‘The reason you have people at these shows is because of that band (Slipknot). Shut the f*ck up and do your shows.’ It was a very interesting time.”

Slipknot, Ozzfest and Knotfest

After the harsh experiences at the beginning, the Slipknot still returned to Ozzfest in 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2013. In 2012, the band created their own Knotfestwhich has been held annually since 2014 and has been expanded to other countries besides the United States, including Brazil.

In 2016 and 2017 the two events took place together, in a partnership called Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. The festival of Ozzy and Sharon had its last edition in 2018.

Collaborated: André Luiz Fernandes.