Joey Jordison, founding member of Slipknot, has died

The Joey Jordison, the founding drummer of Slipknot and co-writer of many of their biggest hits, died on Monday (26/07/21) at the age of 46. A representative of his family said that he died "peacefully in his sleep," but did not specify the cause of death.

The family's announcement

'Joey's death has left our hearts empty and our feelings of sadness beyond words,' a statement from Jordison's family reads. 'Those who knew Joey understood his quick wit, his gentle personality, his giant heart and his love for all things, family and music. Joey's family asks friends, fans and media to respect the need to protect privacy and peace at this extremely difficult time. The family intends to hold a private funeral.'

His contribution to Slipknot

The Jordison was the driving force that kept the music of the Slipknot going in their early days. His presence behind the drum kit and his virtuosic drum solos, like the one captured in the band's film Disasterpieces, made him a beloved member among fans. Behind the scenes, Jordison played a decisive role in Slipknot's music. The elements of his technique and death-metal blastbeats were crucial ingredients in the band's sudden success.

The band's beginning

The drummer played with a band in Des Moines, Iowa that were called Pale Ones and later Meld when he suggested they change their name to Slipknot in 1995. Within a few years, the band's lineup expanded to nine members who wore nightmarish masks. The band's sound was made up of metal and rap elements, which made them pioneers of Nu Metal. Thanks to constant touring and explosive live shows at Ozzfest, their debut album titled went double platinum in 1999.

He stayed with the band until 2013, when he left for "personal reasons". A few years later, he revealed a neurological illness that caused his departure. 'I was really, really sick with a horrible illness called transverse myelitis. I've lost my legs.’, he told the crowd at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2016. ‘I couldn't play anymore. It was a form of multiple sclerosis, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I picked myself back up, went to the gym and got back into fucking therapy to beat this shit.’ At that time, he said he had rediscovered himself in music with a new band called Vimic.

Childhood

The Nathan Jonas Jordison was born in Des Moines on April 26, 1975. He grew up near the small town of Waukee, where he got bad grades in school and considered himself introverted. He discovered Kiss and Black Sabbath in the early '80s, and his parents nurtured his interest in music. He started his first band while still in elementary school. Jordison played guitar with a friend who wasn't very good at drums, which pushed the musician to switch instruments. His parents surprised him with his own drum set when he was in fifth grade, and he kept on playing with friends.

Jordison and the other original members of Slipknot found each other playing the club circuit in Des Moines, mostly at a venue called Runway. By 1996, they had started wearing masks and had put out a demo album titled Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. ‘The first mask I had was an original off-white kabuki mask,' Jordison told Revolver. 'One Halloween, when I was about eight years old, I came home from school and my mother had gone all out in the corner with this mask and a long robe. So I had to use it for my mask.’

The self-titled debut by Slipknot came out in 1999 and thanks to a gap at Ozzfest and the videos for the singles "Wait and Bleed" and "Spit It Out", it went platinum within a year. 'I was the night shift manager at a gas station in Sinclair from '95 to '97,' Jordison said in 2001. 'Most of Slipknot was designed there. I'd leave band practice around ten, and I'd bring a radio and TV and metal music with me. Shawn [Crahan] would come down at 11:30 and we'd start designing stuff. He'd leave at five in the morning. After we'd thought up all these ideas. That's how we did it.’

'When we made Iowa, it was a very dark time for the band'

Their second album – Iowa from 2001 – was an even bigger success, reaching number three on the Billboard 200. But not everything was so rosy behind the scenes. 'When we made Iowa, it was a very dark time for the band,' Jordison said. 'Some of our heaviest songs are on that record, but we were all on drugs and booze. It's a time I don't like talking about much because I don't like using drugs.' 'Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses),' released in 2004, reached number two, while 'All Hope Is Gone' from 2008 bowed in at number one. That record would be Joey Jordison's last with the band.

In 2016, the drummer claimed the band had fired him via email three years earlier over a misunderstanding. ‘They got confused about my health problems, which apparently even I didn't know what they were at first. They thought I was doing drugs, which wasn't true. I've been through so much with these guys and I love them dearly. What's painful and what bothered me was the way they went about it.’

A few years before his death, Joey Jordison revealed he had kept the demo tapes of songs he'd written for Slipknot at the time he was fired. 'Maybe someday they'll show up, maybe they'll never be heard, but I'm not giving them to any other band. They're staying in the Slipknot vault.‘

Twenty years ago, he wasn't sure if Slipknot could go on. He just knew he wanted it. ‘I don't think this band can last more than four or five albums. Look at what we've done on the new one [Iowa]. I know we've nailed it every time I hear it. I think four albums will bring it all together. This band is so intense it literally takes years off our lives. This music is hard to play and it's hard on us. But we love it.’