It was the first release by the band to be produced by Ross Robinson, who sought to refine Slipknot's sound rather than alter the group's musical direction.

This is the only album to feature original guitarist Josh Brainard who left at the end of recording in late 1998 while the band was taking a brief break.

Repeat., the members of Slipknot continued to write new material and work in SR Audio, a local studio, with new vocalist Corey Taylor.

[8] Songs written and recorded in this period include "Slipknot", "Gently", "Do Nothing/Bitchslap", "Tattered and Torn", "Heartache and a Pair of Scissors", "Me Inside", "Coleslaw", "Carve", "Windows", and "May 17".

On September 29, 1998, Slipknot left Des Moines, Iowa, and relocated at Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California, anxious to record an album after a long wait to be signed.

[11][12] During that time, its members attended a show by avant-garde metal supergroup Fantômas, fronted by Mike Patton (whom the band already admired from his work with Mr. Bungle and Faith No More).

[15]The album's recording process was "very aggressive and chaotic", as producer Robinson strove to capture the intensity that the band created when performing live.

Within three days all the drums were recorded, which contributed to the raw, live sound on the album that the band considered integral to its musical direction.

[16] Robinson played a big part in the stylistic change of the band, convincing them to cut off the more experimental sections and guitar solos in favor of a straightforward metal sound.

Slipknot's musical style is constantly contested; the genres in which the band are categorized vary depending on the source.

Alternative Press hailed the "inventive sampling, creative guitar work and an absolute percussive overload",[24] while Q described the album as "a terrifying racket".

"[4] "Eeyore" – a hidden track at the end of "Scissors" – begins after dialogue shared among the band members, recorded while they were viewing a scene in a pornographic film that involved coprophilia.

[31] Slipknot received acclaim by critics and fans; following its release the band gained popularity beyond their own expectations.

[39] Reviewing for AllMusic, Rick Anderson called it "an auspicious debut" and proclaimed, "You thought Limp Bizkit was hard?

[43] Jon Hotten of Classic Rock described Slipknot's "scary, genre-busting debut" as a "clever synthesis of a slasher movie aesthetics with some grindingly heavy metal" and judged the band as apparently not "built to endure".

[45] A single from the album, "Wait and Bleed", was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards, but lost to Deftones' "Elite".

[51] The British Phonographic Industry certified Slipknot's self-titled album as platinum on October 17, 2008, in the UK.

Slightly remastered[citation needed] standard and digipak versions of the album were issued in December 1999, replacing both tracks with "Me Inside".

The special edition box set includes: a CD and DVD set featuring all new digipak packaging, with a total of 25 songs including the original album with "Purity" (minus the prelude "Frail Limb Nursery") plus several previously unreleased cuts and demo tracks.

[60] The DVD, which was directed by percussionist Shawn Crahan, features footage of the band in 1999 and 2000,[61] titled Of the Sic: Your Nightmares, Our Dreams.

The DVD also features all three music videos released in support of the album, an entire live concert recorded at the Dynamo Open Air, 2000 and "other surprises".

[60] All songs are credited to Slipknot (Shawn Crahan, Chris Fehn, Paul Gray, Craig Jones, Joey Jordison, Corey Taylor, Mick Thomson and Sid Wilson) in the original liner notes (Fehn was not in the band for the songwriting);[63] known songwriters listed where noted.