After decades of being known as the state that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper, few could have imagined Iowa’s latest claim to fame in the history of popular music would be a nine-piece, rubber-mask-wearing heavy metal band — Slipknot.

But that is exactly what happened when the Des Moines-based band rose out of obscurity in 1999 with its self-titled debut album on Roadrunner Records. The band went on to sell millions of albums, partake in major heavy metal tours like Ozzfest and inspire a legion of devoted fans who refer to themselves as “maggots.”

Maggot Chase Feldmann, junior in chemistry, says Slipknot’s appeal lies with its ability to draw in many listeners without compromising its musical vision.

“They never disappoint their listeners,” he says. “They’ve always been good to their fans and they’ve never sold out.”

Slipknot’s appeal extends beyond its listeners to include fellow musicians. Tim Leabo, bassist for Des Moines metal band Violent Impact, says Slipknot was a musical force to be reckoned with well before its mainstream success.

“I saw Slipknot back when they were a local band; I think it was maybe at Dotfest in ’98,” he says. “I was blown away by their stage show, just full-on chaos for 30 minutes. It was a show you couldn’t walk away from.”

Leabo says he isn’t at all surprised by Slipknot’s rise in popularity because many fans of heavy music can relate to the band’s concepts.

“I think a lot of kids can relate to the message they put out,” Leabo says. “The not fitting in, being yourself and not caring what the mainstream bands or the cool kids are doing.”

Before Slipknot, Iowa wasn’t often mentioned in the same breath as heavy metal, but thanks to the band’s popularity, the state has become almost synonymous with the band in heavy metal music circles.

Jillian Renk, a freshman in microbiology who has been listening to the band for the past five years, says the band’s success is a good thing for Iowa’s metal scene.

“I think it’s awesome to be on the metal map because of Slipknot,” Renk says.

“It shows we have a good metal community in Iowa.”

For Louis Kaplan, freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication, who started listening to the band when a friend introduced him to Slipknot’s music at summer camp, says Slipknot’s status as a household name in Pennsylvania led to teasing from family members when he was considering coming to Iowa State for college.

“When I told my brother I was going to college here, he said ‘Oh, you’re just going there because of Slipknot,'” Kaplan says.

Although Feldmann agrees Slipknot’s notoriety helps draw in diverse listeners and bring attention to Iowa’s metal scene, he says the band’s sometimes radio-friendly leanings aren’t completely representative of what the state has to offer.

“They do a good job of representing the softer kinds of metal, but that allows them to do a lot more,” he says. “Everybody will be able to get into the show.”

Leabo says although he appreciates what Slipknot’s success has done for the state’s heavy metal scene, fans who might not be intimately familiar with other bands from the area can have misconceptions or blow things out of proportion.

“Maybe it helps — a lot of bands or fans think that Des Moines and Iowa are this incredible scene, maybe more than it is,” Leabo says. “But I’ve also heard people compare a lot of bands to them, saying all bands from Iowa are Slipknot copycats, which may be true for some, but for the majority, I would say not.”

As part of the fallout of Slipknot’s success, a slew of bands — like Illinois’ Mudvayne and Ohio’s Mushroomhead — appeared on the national music scene, seemingly attempting to emulate Slipknot’s theatrical approach to metal with masks and makeup of their own. Feldmann says even though Slipknot helped pave the way for similar-looking bands, other groups sound nothing like Slipknot.

“They kind of rode the coattails, I guess,” Feldmann says. “I wouldn’t really call them rip-offs.”

Calee Himes, junior in graphic design, has a much stronger opinion of bands who try to capitalize on Slipknot’s success.

“I hate Mudvayne, I really do. I don’t know if they’re really a copy, it just doesn’t capture what Slipknot does,” Himes says. “You can tell it’s all a gimmick.”

Himes says although she continues to be a fan of Slipknot, she is concerned about what kinds of fans the band’s increasing notoriety will attract.

“I liked them better when they were more underground,” Himes says, “They’re getting too much radio play, and I have a major problem with that.”

Ryan Sheeler, graduate student in interdisciplinary graduate studies, helps teach the music department’s rock ‘n’ roll history class. He says mainstream fans’ increasing acceptance of Slipknot is typical of the music industry, in spite of heavy metal’s rebellious nature.

“Metal has always been an anti-establishment thing, but pieces of things filter into the mainstream,” Sheeler says.

One thing Slipknot’s fans all seem to agree on is the band’s ability to put on an impressive live show.

Himes, who was introduced to the band’s stage performance when her boyfriend took her to her first Slipknot show last year, says the energy the band puts into playing is one of the keys to its appeal as a live unit.

“They’re so into it,” she says. “You can just tell that those guys are passionate about what they do.”

Feldmann, who will be experiencing Slipknot in the live arena for the first time when the band takes the stage at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, says he’s looking forward to seeing if Slipknot’s performance lives up to everything he has heard from other fans.

“I’m looking forward to an intense, active live show,” Feldmann says. “I want to see how they work the crowd, how they get us energize, how they destroy us.”