When we think of Slipknot, the first thing that springs to mind is their masks. Drummer Joey Jordison, bassist Paul Gray, and percussionist Shawn Crahan formed the band in 1995.

This Iowa-based heavy metal band has been active for more than two decades.

Their ability to stay relevant in the ever-changing music industry is a skill in itself. This list of the best Slipknot songs will bring back your metalhead days. 

The band has come a long way from ‘(sic)’ to ‘Nero Forte.’ It documents the members’ frustrations, suffering, catharsis, and the band’s evolution.

They’re the heaviest, most intense band ever to headline significant events. It won’t be easy to narrow down the best Slipknot songs today.

Their fans, dubbed “Maggots,” have been loyal since the start of it all. They are the sole beneficiaries of the band’s masterpieces year after year.

It’s all good being a heavy metal band with all the outfits and masks. But, they sure back all the craziness with their style of music.

Their mastery of the instruments, their melodies, and lyricism stands out.

Here is the definitive list of the best Slipknot songs without further ado.

Best Slipknot Songs

1.Surfacing

We kick off the list with Surfacing. This track got released in 1999 from the debut album, Slipknot.

This song encapsulates the band’s attitude and feelings about life. They wrote this song when the band went to Los Angeles for the first time.

It’s for the pessimists who always have something to say. 

It’s the classic Slipknot song, with its screaming opening, furious, chaotic percussions, and Taylor’s savagery. This song is regarded as the “new national anthem” for Slipknot fans.

Surfacing acted as a barometer for the nastiness that lurked underneath the surface. Later on, this would prove to be the game-changer they would need.

It’s not one of the best songs they’ve ever put out. But, when you’re angry and aggressive, I don’t think you care about how you articulate things.

2. Eyeless

The third song from their debut album, Slipknot, got released in 1999. 

This track has a lot of different meanings to it. But it is primarily about Corey’s father, who he never met in his life.

The line “You can’t see California without Marlon Brando’s eyes” is inspired by a homeless man Taylor met. He said the man was repeating himself while passing out cult literature.

Taylor talks about their experience writing this song in the studio and how they recorded the song twice as fast as they wrote it.

For the band, its greatest achievement is capturing the dark enchantment of that exact moment. It encompasses so much of what drew fans to Slipknot’s early work. It’s both abstract and vivid.

3. People=Shit

This track got released back in 2001. It is from their album, Iowa.

The song talks about misanthropy, and it’s about hating what humankind has become after these years of development.

The message conveyed is that humanity is depleting its simple pleasures in life, and humanity is being branded a fraud. Taylor considers the human race to be akin to an inexplicable end.

The song begins with loud drums and a hammering riff. With Taylor’s singing, you’ll feel almost exhausted by the end of the song. 

The lyrics are fantastic because they blend in well with the musical output. It’s in tandem with the same overarching theme of how awful humanity is.

This song embodies their toughest and darkest moments when it comes to the music and lyrics. Everything comes together to form one cohesive and compelling piece.

4. Wait and Bleed

This track got released in 1999 from their self-titled debut album, Slipknot. Slipknot also received a Grammy nomination for this song.

It’s a story about a man who gets nightmares on a regular basis. He envisions himself slitting his wrists in a bathtub full of his own blood.

The music has a trance-like feel about it. Isolation has produced a hypnotic effect in the individual who is bleeding to death.

It describes relaxing in a very bleak light. The person bleeding to death realizes he’s leaving everything in his life behind.

Its tangle of sinking riffage complements the track’s harsh, climactic nadir. With his deep guttural growls, vocalist Corey Taylor takes center stage.

The track’s a harrowing meditation on humanity’s potential to sink into darkness. It addresses the topic of mental health long before it was appropriate.

5. Duality

This track got released in 2004. It’s from their third studio album, Vol. 3:(The Subliminal Verses).

It’s about your life’s tempers and how difficult it can be to make the proper decisions. You must make a decision that you may not want to, but you’re forced to.

Taylor does not write about futility. Instead, he writes with emotion and meaning in mind. And the song has a meaning, no matter how fast-paced or heavy it sounds.

Duality became a classic for the band, setting the bar for years to come. The band’s reputation as metal’s most unpredictable creative forces got solidified as a result.

The masked marauders perfected their maelstrom with melody formula. Pushing your fingers into your eyes never sounded like such an appealing behavior.

6. Left Behind

This track is from their album, Iowa. It got released back in the year 2001.

This song talks about the companions Taylor made while he was without a home. He trusted them and shared everything with them.

When he finally made it, he altogether lost contact with every one of them. This song appears to be a dedication to them by Taylor.

The chorus to this track is quite catchy, and it’s one of Slipknot’s best. The drums in this song, paired with the guitars, give it an agitated feel.

The emotion in Corey’s voice is palpable. He got enraged by being on the streets and rejected by society.

It’s got a lot more of the band’s caustic, despairing attitude that has become their trademark. Left behind got nominated for the Best Metal Performance in 2002.

7. Before I Forget

This track is from the album, Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses). It got released in the year 2004.

The primary riff comes from a 1996 demo named “Carve.” But it was never included in the band’s 1999 debut.

This song is popular among fans since it contains everything. That includes the trigger-finger riff to the razor-sharp chorus to the more ambient bridge.

These song lyrics are more personal and well-considered. He isn’t only expressing his contempt for others.

It’s all about remembering who you truly are, despite everything going on around you. With all the band’s success over the years, he’s talking about staying grounded.

This track won the Grammy’s for the Best Metal Performance in 2006. It is also included in Guitar Hero 3.

This was one of the first times the band showed their faces without their masks. 

8. Spit It Out

This track got released in 1999. It is from their debut album, Slipknot.

Taylor wrote in retaliation to a radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. They never played their material and were always rude to them.

The fast-paced beat of this song gives it a lot of vitality, and the chorus comes in quickly. It features a massive rhythm section, buzzing riffage, and Taylor’s erratic rapping.

This song not only demonstrated the band’s potential at the time but Taylor’s versatility. Most fans consider this to be Slipknot’s most hype song.

This song played live is even better. All metalheads should experience Corey Taylor’s “jump the f*** up!” audience engagement.

This is the song that landed Slipknot a deal with Roadrunner Records. It’s one of their best songs on this album.

9. Psychosocial

This track got released in 2008. It is from their album: All Hope Is Gone.

Psychosocial has everything fans love in their song. An epic mask unveiling, a slick video to go along with it, and a killer beat to headbang.

The music is slow-paced in some parts. Fans find it reminiscent of sounding like both (sic) and Duality at the same time.

Psychosocial was the first of their songs that felt like it belonged on the radio. Another percussion-driven masterpiece with a chorus sung back by fans.

The song and video, which were both debuted on MTV, had a huge cultural influence. The band’s well-honed material is a tribute to how much they had transformed the game. 

It’s simple and enjoyable to play, making it a fan favorite.

10. Disasterpiece

This track got released in 2001. It is from their album, Iowa.

This song got inspired by Taylor’s experiences with a bully in high school. He got victimized young and always expressed his disdain towards bullies.

He’s finally cracked and is letting out his rage in this song. He sings of wanting to kill this man and make him experience the misery he’s caused.

The person who used to bully him didn’t think much of him. Taylor looks back and laughs at his bully now that he’s made it. 

Disasterpiece was well-received by critics when it got released. Most of the fans praised the rapid editing and sound quality of it.

The visceral image generated here has a dark romantic feel to it. It is revolting, which is why it’s perfect.

11. Prosthetics

Prosthetics got released in 1999. This track is from their first album, Slipknot. 

The song talks about how the character’s obsessed with a girl. It’s a strange psychological phenomenon, and Prosthetics takes it a step further. 

Paul’s slimy bass is the perfect lubricant for the metronomic start. It proved that the band could travel to the opposite end of the spectrum.

Prosthetics is a disturbing addendum to their first album. It’s based on the 1965 movie, The Collector.

Its static squalls and intricate percussion are delivered at a malevolently timed pace. It’s a labored lecture that explodes into life in the live arena. 

The lyrics follow a predator’s actions for his sexual desires. It leads to kidnapping the girl and later self-guilt and shame.

This song is also regarded as one of the most unsettling rock tunes ever recorded. 

12. Unsainted

Unsainted got released in the year 2019. This track is from their album: We Are Not Your Kind.

When Slipknot released this song, they surprised their fans. It’s accompanied by a new look for all members of the band.

Taylor, the band’s frontman, talks about his long battle with depression on this track. He talks about how organized religion helps him cope with depression.

The band had a change in personnel during this album. Their long-time percussionist, Chris Fehn, got replaced by a new addition.

This is the song in which the band decided to include a choral intro. It was a completely new experience, and it added to the satisfaction of those hammering drums.

The song ends with the remark that the singer is now unsainted. That Taylor’s good side has been finally shattered by someone. 

13. The Heretic Anthem

This track is from their album, Iowa. It got released in the year 2001.

It’s about trusting your instincts rather than accepting the advice of others. Slipknot always exceeded expectations and confounded detractors, which has led to their success.

The devil has nothing to do with this track. It’s for the record industry, desperate for the band to release a radio hit.

This is a death metal song featuring Corey Taylor’s screams. The riffs, the frenetic double bass, and Paul’s puerile bass all stand out.

It’s a watershed moment in Slipknot’s journey as the voice of the voiceless in modern metal. The Heretic Anthem is heavier than 99% of today’s extreme metal bands.

The song got good reception after its initial release. The band’s ‘I don’t give a damn’ attitude is also echoed throughout the song.

14. Get This

This track got released in the year 1999. It is from their first self-titled album, Slipknot.

This song is aimed at a former band that did openings for Slipknot’s live shows. That band would later claim that they were the reason for Slipknot’s success. 

This is one of the album’s more aggressively written songs. It’s snide in tone and expresses Taylor’s disdain for that band.

They had already established themselves as a band that would not compromise. He had no desire to become friends with a nu-metal scene that was already dwindling.

As Taylor would later clarify, this not only relates to music. He talks about those who have wonderful lives yet are unsatisfied in life. 

Few hated songs become hits, but Slipknot made it a statement with this one.

15. Nero Forte

This track got released in the year 2019. It is from their album: We Are Not Your Kind.

Crahan, the drummer for Slipknot, wrote the original version of this percussion tune. This is evocative of “Psychosocial,” according to the fans. 

The title refers to the Italian phrases ‘black’ and ‘strong,’ it’s about doubting one’s own existence. Its abstract tale depicts what it’s like to sink into the depths of depression. 

“Forte” can also refer to anything you excel at. Despite the song’s title not being mentioned in the lyrics, it epitomizes Taylor’s plunge into darkness.

Taylor felt the depression was like an entity he didn’t have the strength to fight against.

For the first time in Slipknot’s long career, Taylor sings in falsetto. It shows how far he has progressed.

Conclusion

We hope the list helped you in a few ways than many. This band shaped a community of misfits who came together to headbang.

Some people didn’t like it, and some people still don’t like it. But, as Taylor would say, to refuse to give in to other people’s beliefs.

In short, believe in yourself even if you do the right or wrong thing. Mistakes help you grow.

To conclude, we hope these best Slipknot songs will certainly get your day going. A cup of coffee will blend well with the pace of their songs.