Slipknot Sets Up Mystery Website for 25th Anniversary Album Release

Slipknot launched a cryptic web page with a ticking clock that stops on July 21st. The site points to something big: a fresh take on their groundbreaking 1999 debut.

At 742617000027.net, visitors find a stark warning: "Worse forwards than backwards." Type in "comeplaydying" and the screen fills with grainy pictures of the first lineup, while strange sounds drift through speakers.

"I'm fully involved with putting together a reissue package, because I'm the band caretaker,' Shawn "Clown" Crahan told Metal Hammer. "I'm the one that held everything over the years: all the DAT tapes from the board from all our first shows, all the videotapes from studio sessions at SR Audio and Indigo Ranch."

The site branches off from youcantkillme.com — their hub for announcing the 25th-year shows. Wrong guesses at the password trigger a blunt message: "You have nothing to contribute so stay the f**k out."

Sharp fans spotted that the web address matches their first album's opening track. The secret code "comeplaydying" calls back to text hidden in early Digipak versions.

The fresh package will include never-heard test mixes and raw studio takes. Crahan stashed away mountains of photos and recordings from their early days. Fans will get their hands on both sound and video footage from those wild beginnings.

Back in 2009, they dropped their first do-over — a massive 10th birthday edition. That beast packed 25 cuts plus demos and hard-to-find tracks. A bonus DVD showed raw clips from their 1999-2000 run.

Next stop: they'll shake the ground at INKcarceration this month.