In a recent chat with Metal Hammer, Mushroomhead’s Steve ‘Skinny’ Felton addressed the long-standing feud with Slipknot, suggesting it was more hype than substance.
“Slipknot, man, amazing,” Felton praised. “One of the biggest heavy metal bands in the world. Holy sh*t, it’s gigantically huge, and what they’ve done is amazing. I think it opens doors for other bands, including my own. People are into this masked metal and theatrics.”
During the nu-metal boom, the rivalry between Slipknot and Mushroomhead was a hot topic. Despite Mushroomhead having embraced horror-inspired masks before Slipknot’s 1999 debut, they faced accusations of copying Slipknot. This led to some memorable confrontations, including a notorious incident where Slipknot fans allegedly threw objects at Mushroomhead during a Cleveland show.
Felton, however, believes the feud was exaggerated over time. “A bit of it has been inflated,” he said. “I wasn’t personally involved, and I’ve heard 20 different versions of it over the years. Let’s not forget that during that era, band rivalries were popular—look at the East Coast vs. West Coast rap scene. The media stoked the flames, and fans bought into it.”
Mushroomhead released their self-titled debut in 1995, ahead of Slipknot’s demo album, *Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.*, which came out in 1996. Mushroomhead’s early albums were self-released before they signed with Universal for 2003’s *XIII*. Slipknot made a big splash with their self-titled album, thanks to Roadrunner Records, in 1999.
Both bands have continued to evolve and release new music. Mushroomhead’s latest album, *Call the Devil*, dropped earlier this month, while Slipknot’s most recent release is *The End, So Far* from 2022. Despite their past rivalry, it’s clear both bands have made significant contributions to the heavy metal genre.
