Have you ever heard music by the Slipknot that existed before the Slipknot we all know and love?
That’s right — before Shawn Crahan, Paul Gray and Joey Jordison formed Slipknot in Des Moines, Iowa in 1995, there was another band with the same name that existed years before them. And they released a single EP.
They even have a page on Metal Wiki, and according to the source, they were a crossover thrash band that formed in New Haven, Connecticut in the mid 1980s.
Led by bassist and vocalist Stiemy, whose real name is Jamie Brueller, the trio also consisted of Mike “Chang” Martinez on drums and Scott “F” Agostinelli on guitar [via Diskery].
Slipknot, Slipknot EP Artwork (1989)
How to Listen to the Original Slipknot’s Music
The Connecticut-based Slipknot only stayed together until 1989, but they released a self-titled EP that year through Revelation Records, which was headquartered in New Haven at the time. You can actually purchase the six-track EP on vinyl through the label’s website for just $9.
“Not to be confused with the Nu Metal band of the same name, this Slipknot was from the birthplace of Revelation Records, New Haven, Connecticut. Originally released in 1989. For fans of The Accused, Corrosion of Conformity, and Septic Death,” the description reads.
We should point out that the closing song on the release is titled “No. 9.” Weird.
If you don’t want to buy it though, you can listen to it just below.
Slipknot, Slipknot EP (Revelation Records, 1989
What Happened to the Members of the Original Slipknot?
Because this Slipknot had such a short career, it’s difficult to find a lot of information about why they split or the whereabouts of the members today. But Metal Wiki claims that Stiemy and F went on to play in another New Haven band called Malachi Krunch.
As far as where they are today, a quick search of their names in Google revealed that there is a Scott Agostinelli (“F”) working as a painter in the construction industry in Connecticut and Mike Martinez (“Chang”) is a real estate agent in New Haven.
We can’t confirm this is the same Scott Agostinelli that played in Slipknot, but Martinez’s Zillow bio mentions that he was a drummer, so it’s likely the same one.
We couldn’t find anything on Jamie Brueller (“Stiemy”).
What Do Slipknot (Iowa) Fans Think of Slipknot’s (Connecticut) Music?
Many of the Iowa-based Slipknot’s fans already knew about this other Slipknot that existed beforehand, as there are some posts on Reddit about it.
One post shared in 2021 is titled, “So apparently in 1989 there was another band called Slipknot?,” and the individual included a screenshot of the band’s EP. Based on the comments, most of the fans were perplexed, but a few of them said they enjoyed the music.
Another person wrote a post about the band in 2015 titled “What’s up with the second artist called Slipknot on Spotify?,” and in the description, described the trio as “awful,” so they’re clearly not everyone’s cup of tea.
As pointed out by someone on that particular Reddit thread, there’s an error on Spotify for the track “No. 9.” The platform displays the lyrics for Iowa Slipknot’s song “(sic).”