After months of speculation, it appears the identity of Slipknot’s newest member has finally been revealed. New pics posted on social media seem to confirm that the band’s new percussionist, known to fans as “Tortilla Man”, is musician Michael Pfaff.
The revelation came Tuesday (February 5th) courtesy of the official Facebook page for the Postojna Cave, a tourist attraction in Slovenia. “Postojna Cave hosted its very first Grammy winners: we had a visit from three members of the famous American heavy metal band Slipknot,” read the post, accompanied by a handful of photos.
One of those photos clearly shows Pfaff posing with fellow percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan and drummer Jay Weinberg, while another shows all three of their signatures in a guestbook.
The news shouldn’t come as a big surprise to Slipknot fans. Rumors swirled that the mystery “Tortilla Man” was Pfaff not too long after he made his debut in the video for the song “Unsainted” from the Slipknot’s 2019 album, We Are Not Your Kind. Pfaff is a member of Crahan’s side-project Dirty Little Rabbits, and online detectives had previously made the connection via other clues.
Slipknot welcomed “Tortilla Man” into the band after the departure of longtime member Chris Fehn, who had filed a lawsuit against Crahan and singer Corey Taylor over monetary issues in March 2019. Only a few days after the lawsuit was made public, Slipknot officially parted ways with Fehn.
Perhaps the photos from Postojna Cave were Slipknot’s subtle way of revealing Pfaff as their new percussionist, as he clearly posed for the picture and signed the guest book. Previous new members Weinberg and Alessandro Venturella (bass) were never officially introduced, but were also identified via social media clues, including a distinctive tattoo on Venturella.
Back in August, Slipknot had some fun with “Tortilla Man” onstage by placing an actual tortilla on his face during a show in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Slipknot just announced a 2020 edition of their North American “Knotfest Roadshow” tour, also featuring A Day to Remember, Underoath, and Code Orange. The month-long outing kicks off May 30th, with tickets via Ticketmaster this Friday. Fans can also pick up tickets here.
See the photos of Slipknot at the Postojna Cave, including Pfaff (pictured left) with Clown and Weinberg, below.