What Every Member Of Slipknot Looks Like In Real Life

Correction 5/2/23: A previous version of this story stated that Mick Thomson has been in the band since 1999. Thomson has been in the band since 1996, not 1999.

Unless you have been living under a rock since the turn of the millennium, you are almost undoubtedly familiar with the metal band Slipknot. They burst onto the scene in 1996 with their debut album "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." But they truly became popular with the release of their 1999 self-titled album, which features the single "Wait and Bleed." That track earned them the first of their 10 Grammy nominations and introduced the world to their brand of nu-metal music. Their aggressive music and nihilistic attitude inspired millions of young metalheads to embrace their style, creating a legion of loyal fans known as "maggots."

What made Slipknot stand out more than the rest — besides their music — was their bizarre dress. Every member in the band wears stage attire that includes horror masks and jumpsuits to emphasize their mysteriousness. Over the years, these masks and costumes have changed, but they have always remained an integral part of Slipknot's stage show. 

For the first few years, not even their devoted fans knew what the band looked like behind the masks, as they always wore them during performances and even in interviews. Even today, it takes a little digging to find the men behind the masks. From Shawn Crahan to Michael Pfaff, this is what every member of Slipknot looks like in real life.

Though he is known for being a recluse and not saying much, Craig "133" Jones is one of the longest-tenured members of the band. Jones originally joined as a guitar player, though he is largely known for his sampling and keyboard work (via Jason Arnopp in "Slipknot: Inside the Sickness, Behind the Masks"). Jones has appeared on every single Slipknot album since their 1996 debut "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat."

Of all the masks in Slipknot, Jones' might be the most recognizable. Though it has gone through variations and changes, Jones commonly uses a gimp mask as a base with numerous spikes pointing out of it. It is definitely one of the more intimidating masks in the band, as those spikes look like they could do some serious damage if they were to impale you.

Jones is notorious for not talking in interviews, and bandmate Corey Taylor relayed during a Q&A session with fans that it's not an act — he's like that with the band, too. Taylor claimed he went two years without having a full conversation with Jones, which is incredible considering they were playing together almost daily at times. Still, you can tell that Jones is beloved by his bandmates, even if he is the strong 

and silent type.

Of all the members in Slipknot, Corey Taylor has by far had the most success outside of the band. He has been the lead singer of Slipknot since 1997, and has appeared on every album since their self-titled release in 1999. His stage antics are widely known, and he is one of the more interactive performers, constantly getting the crowd involved in the show. In addition to his work with Slipknot, he is also the lead singer for the band Stone Sour, which also features Slipknot guitar player Jim Root.

Of all the masks in Slipknot, Taylor's has probably evolved the most. It started off with fake dreadlocks sewn into a largely gray mask that wrapped around his head. Eventually, he dropped the dreadlocks and went to face-only masks. During an interview with Kerrang!, Taylor commented that the mask he unveiled in 2019 was purposefully designed to make fans uncomfortable, and that he wanted it to look less professionally designed and more authentic.

Outside of his life in music, Taylor is also a New York Times bestselling author. He has released several books and authored comic books and graphic novels.

If you play guitar and listen to rock or metal music, you have most likely heard of Slipknot guitar player Jim Root. In addition to appearing on every Slipknot album since their self-titled release in 1999, Root has also appeared on albums for the bands Mindless Self Indulgence and John 5, as well as on Slipknot member Sid Wilson's solo project DJ Starscream. He is also one of the main guitarists in the band Stone Sour, which he plays in with Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor. Like fellow Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson, Root is known for his incredible ability to play both rhythm and lead styles effectively.

According to an interview Root gave with Guitar World, he is one of the primary songwriters in Slipknot and is always looking for ways to evolve their sound. During the interview, Root also revealed that he was the main reason that bass player Alessandro Venturella joined the band following the death of longtime bassist Paul Gray in 2010.

Root is known for having one of the more stable mask designs in the band. They usually feature an array of zippers and a jester's face, often with large sockets for his eyes. Some of his masks, like the one pictured above, have almost channeled a Phantom of the Opera vibe, while others are just downright sinister, like his "Iowa"-period mask.

When Slipknot's original bass player Paul Gray died in 2010, the band was absolutely devastated. Fans wondered how the group would ever be able to continue, considering Gray was such an integral and recognizable piece. Yet, in 2014, Slipknot finally hired his replacement, Englishman Alessandro Venturella. As he relayed in a 2019 interview with Musicradar, the reason he got the job was in part due to longtime guitarist Jim Root. Root and Venturella were friends, and Venturella was working as a guitar tech for fellow metal guitarist Brent Hinds of Mastodon.

One night while on tour in Atlanta, Root called Venturella — a guitarist by trade — and asked if he could set the band up with any bass players to audition. Venturella volunteered, learning to play bass on the fly just before the audition. In another interview Venturella gave in 2023 with Heavy Interviews, he talked about how at first the band wanted to keep his identity a secret. However, after a few promo shots captured his distinctive tattoos, the word quickly got out, and everyone knew Venturella was the new bass player.

Having not been in Slipknot nearly as long as most other members, Venturella's mask has not had the chance to evolve as much. His first mask looked like a cross between an orc and a piece of rock, and it has slowly morphed into looking like it consists of only his face muscles, stripped of skin — definitely one of the more frightening masks in the group.

Slipknot welcomed their newest member in 2019: percussionist Michael Pfaff. He is affectionately known as the "Tortilla Man," due to the interesting nature of his mask. Pfaff's story is a little different from the other newcomers in Slipknot, because they were actually able to hide his identity for a few years. Where they failed with Alessandro Venturella and Jay Weinberg, they succeeded with Pfaff, and his identity was not revealed until 2022, just prior to the start of that year's Knotfest Roadshow tour. Pfaff took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything segment, where he revealed his identity and face for the first time.

Previously, internet sleuths had fingered Pfaff as the Tortilla Man, but no one could definitively say so until he revealed himself for the Reddit AMA. Though he joined in 2019, Pfaff is apparently still new enough that security does not always recognize him — even when he's in full attire — as evidenced by this Instagram video showing him being stopped from going onstage during a concert in 2022.

As you have probably surmised, Pfaff's mask looks like a cross between a serial killer and, well, a tortilla, complete with sinister vertical eye-slits and a disturbing zipper mouth. Who knew a tortilla could be so scary?

For many young metal fans, the reason they started listening to Slipknot was due in no small part to original drummer Joey Jordison. Widely known for his incredibly virtuoso drumming, Slipknot concerts would frequently have drum solos featuring Jordison playing alone on his kit as it spun and flipped all over the stage. Jordison, along with Shawn Crahan and Paul Gray, was one of the original founding members of Slipknot, helping to form the band in 1995. He played on every album from 1996's "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." through 2008's "All Hope Is Gone," departing the band in 2013.

Though at first all that was said about him leaving the band is that it was for "personal reasons," he later announced that he had been diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological condition that compromised his ability to drum effectively with his legs (via NME). After recovering, Jordison played in a number of bands, including Murderdolls, Scar the Martyr, and Vimic. Tragically, Jordison passed away on July 26, 2021, at the age of 46.

Jordison's mask remained relatively consistent during his time in Slipknot. It usually featured a lighter base with black paint, and his final one adopted a crown of thorns to adorn his horror mask. It was unsettling to say the least.