Slipknot producer Ross Robinson has explained why he continued recording the band’s 2001 album Iowa after breaking his back in a motocross accident. He said the decision helped restore the band’s focus and intensity at a time when their success was exposing them to Hollywood distractions, reinforcing the determination behind one of their most influential releases.

Robinson, 59, had previously produced Slipknot’s 1999 self-titled debut and returned for Iowa, but suffered the injury midway through production. He took only one day away from the sessions and said he felt handing the work to another producer would have been impossible; instead, his condition reminded the band of their earlier, rawer metal roots.