Slipknot's Iowa producer Ross Robinson has revealed that the band were on the verge of splitting up before recording their landmark second album, released in 2001. Speaking to Metal Hammer ahead of the record's 25th anniversary, Robinson described the intense internal and external pressures the band faced as they attempted to follow up their game-changing self-titled 1999 debut, with tensions among members reaching breaking point beforehand.

Robinson recalled receiving a complaint from either bassist Paul Gray or drummer Joey Jordison prior to recording, in which a band member reportedly said: "We're just not getting along. We're gonna break up." The revelation comes at a turbulent time for Slipknot, following recent unconfirmed reports that turntablist Sid Wilson may have left the band, underlining the group's long history of internal drama alongside their status as one of metal's most influential acts of the past three decades.