Slipknot: Craig Jones split explained, why isn't Shawn Crahan at Download as band drops surprise EP Adderall

With heavy metal band Slipknot due to headline Download Festival 2023 on Sunday (11 June) on the Apex Stage, fans of the band may be surprised to hear that the group will be down two members. 

Usually nine men strong, Slipknot will not be performing with sampler and keyboardist Craig Jones or percussionist Shawn Crahan, albeit for very different reasons.

This is everything you need to know. 

Has Craig Jones left the band?

In a brief statement that was shared on social media on Wednesday (7 June), which has since been deleted, the band said: “To our fans, Slipknot is announcing that we have parted ways with Craig Jones. We wish Jones all the best for the future.” 

As it stands, it’s unclear why they have decided to go their separate ways, with Jones yet to comment on the departure himself. 

Jones was the sampler and keyboardist for Slipknot, and, having joined the band in early 1996, he was the second longest serving member of the group behind founding percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan. 

Each member of Slipknot wears their own distinctive mask, and Jones, also known as 133, was best known for his piece of headgear which consisted of a bondage style mask with a zipper over the mouth and long sharp nails protruding from it. 

Jones built a reputation for himself as the most mysterious member of the band as he has been notoriously quiet and private, and rarely speaks during interviews. 

Is Craig Jones being replaced?

It appears that Slipknot has teased the possibility of a new member of the group, posting a photo on social media of a person wearing a black mask with a zipper mouth and black hood, with but no context. 

Many in the comments have speculated that it could just be Jones debuting a new mask. 

One person tweeted: “I’m thinking 2 scenarios. 1. Craig didn’t leave Slipknot but has this new mask and is maybe branching away from the spikes or 2. Craig did leave Slipknot but retired and they had already planned on having his replacement long ago and this is that replacement.”

Another wrote: “Come on guys. Is it Craig? His replacement? What is it?” 

Over on Instagram, commenting on the same picture, a fan said: “This is kinda f**ked up… Announce out of nowhere and with no explanation the departure of an OG member of the band, delete the post an hour later, then a couple hours after that post his replacement… straight disrespectful.” 

Why is Shawn Crahan missing Download?

Elsewhere within the band, Shawn Crahan, a.k.a Clown, announced on the same day as Jones’ exit that he is taking a break from Slipknot due to personal reasons, although in a statement he promised fans that he would be “back on the road as soon as I can”. 

On Twitter, Crahan said: “Hello to all of our fans, it’s the clown. I would like to take a moment to tell everyone that I’m back home supporting my wife through some health issues, and I’ll be back on the road as soon as I can. We’ve been through this before and as always, we appreciate the love and support. See all of you very soon.”

Crahan has been married to wife Chantel since 1993, and together they had four children - Alexandria, Gage, Gabrielle and Simon. In 2019, Crahan announced that his youngest daughter, Gabrielle, had passed away at the age of 22. 

What's their new EP?

On Friday (9 June), Slipknot dropped a surprise new EP called Adderall, which is made up of some previously unreleased demos and alternate versions of the song from which the EP gets its name, as well as three non-album songs.

The track list:

• Death March
• Adderall (no intro)
• Adderall (rough demo)
• Red or Redder
• Adderall (instrumental)
• Hard to Be Here