Tracks such as "Tattered & Torn", "Killers Are Quiet" and "Gently" also include the slow, cerebral angst buildup style that the band retained in some of their more recent work. However, tracks such as "Slipknot", "Some Feel" and "Only One" feature a heavy metal influence, specifically in the guitars. One of the band's initial aims was to mix many genres of music to achieve their own style an early incarnation of the band was called "Meld" based upon this. is a mix of genres centered on death metal and nu metal it is the band's most experimental release and differs significantly from the heavier style for which the band became known. To commemorate the release, the band threw a release party at The Safari, a local club in Des Moines where the band played many of their earliest gigs. Originally, the band had planned to include twelve tracks on the CD, two of which – "Fur" and "Part of Me" – already appeared on their first demo in 1995. To solve this problem, Jones abandoned his position on guitar and moved to his current position as a sampler-at that point Mick Thomson stepped in to join as guitarist. However, the band realized that they were incorporating too many media samples on their recordings and could not replicate these sounds live.
In February 1996, during the mixing process, guitarist Donnie Steele decided to leave the band for religious reasons and as a result, Craig Jones joined the band to fill the spot. However, during this period, Slipknot refined their percussive sound by experimenting with erecting walls to isolate the drums and rearranging parts. The band aimed for a tribal sound, but encountered problems including minuscule timing errors. The band expressed how much of a learning process this time was, being the first time they had recorded their music, specifically the challenge of capturing additional percussion elements. Slipknot self-financed the production, which came to an estimated $40,000. Retrospectively, McMahon said that the band was "driven" because they spent the majority of their time in the studio for the four months it took to produce the album. In late 1995, Slipknot and producer Sean McMahon entered SR Audio, a studio in the band's hometown of Des Moines, Iowa to work on what they intended to be their debut album. According to Allmusic, the songs contain an "emphasis on non-traditional songwriting" and melodic themes moreso than subsequent releases. Many of the lyrics and the album's title are inspired by the role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse. The record was recorded in Des Moines, Iowa over a period of four months and features many musical influences including funk, jazz, and disco which are not apparent in later material. a demo and have progressively released the majority of its songs on future releases, albeit usually in radically altered forms. The album has become sought after by fans since Slipknot's rise to fame, and original copies have sold online for up to US$1,000.ĭespite originally being deemed Slipknot's debut album, the band now considers Mate. The band self-distributed some of these copies and released the remaining 386 units through -ismist Recordings in 1997. Released on October 31, 1996, it was limited to production of 1,000 copies. is the first release by American heavy metal band Slipknot and their only release with original lead vocalist Anders Colsefni.