Anders Colsefni, Brainphase
MATE FEE KILL REPEAT 30th Anniversary
June 6th, 2026
Wooly’s, Des Moines, Iowa
Words & photos by Adam Tibbott
Anders Colsefni and the Crowz Bring Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. Back to Life for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Night in Des Moines
On a muggy Saturday night in Des Moines, Iowa the veil was lifted. As we stepped through the doors of Wooly’s, we entered an alternate reality, a glimpse into a primal version of what Slipknot might have become. Raw. Brutal. Unrestrained chaos. A cathartic journey into the path not taken, and a reminder of just how close that vision came to becoming reality.
Opening the night was Des Moines own Brainphase, a band that feels less interested in fitting neatly into a genre and more interested in creating an experience. Their sound is a hypnotic collision of psychedelic rock, progressive metal, and jam-band exploration, blending swirling atmospheres with crushing riffs in a way that calls to mind the technical depth of TOOL and the free-flowing spirit of the Grateful Dead. According to the band’s own description, they fuse psychedelic funk, progressive rock, and alternative metal into a sound that is uniquely their own. What immediately stood out was the band’s willingness to let songs breathe. Rather than rushing from riff to riff, Brainphase built tension through layered grooves, shifting dynamics, and extended instrumental passages that pulled the audience deeper into their world. The result was a set that felt less like a traditional opening act and more like a guided journey through a kaleidoscope of sound.
Every musician on stage had room to shine, creating an organic chemistry that kept the crowd engaged from beginning to end. Fronting it all was a vocalist whose commanding presence brought the music into sharp focus. Much like Scooter Ward of Cold, he carried himself with a quiet intensity that demanded attention without ever feeling forced. Whether delivering haunting melodies or pushing into more aggressive territory, he maintained a connection with the audience that made even the room’s furthest corners feel intimate.
By the time their set came to a close, Brainphase had accomplished exactly what every opening band hopes to do: They won over people who may not have walked through the doors intending to become fans. In a night built around nostalgia and alternate timelines, Brainphase proved that Des Moines current underground scene is still producing artists willing to take risks, blur boundaries, and create something genuinely memorable. They were the perfect bridge between the present and the evening’s journey back into heavy music history.
That was only the beginning of our journey. Thirty years after the release of Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat., Slipknot’s original vocalist, Anders Colsefni, assembled The Crowz to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album that started it all. Performing every song from the legendary demo, along with a few tracks from the long-rumored CROWZ demo material that was being developed prior to Anders departing Slipknot, the evening felt less like a concert and more like a time capsule that had somehow come to life.
Having seen Anders perform with Slipknot in 1996 and 1997, there was an undeniable sense of déjà vu throughout the night. Familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar. Many of the ideas introduced on Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. would later evolve into songs that appeared on Slipknot’s self-titled Roadrunner Records debut, making the similarities impossible to ignore. Hearing those original arrangements again was like witnessing alternate versions of songs that millions of fans have come to know over the last quarter century.
What made the evening truly special was knowing that it could never happen again in quite the same way. Even if Anders decides to take The Crowz back on the road, this wasn’t just another tour stop. It was a convergence of history, memory, and possibility. For those of us fortunate enough to witness Slipknot in its infancy, it was a chance to briefly step back into 1996. For everyone else, it was an opportunity to experience a chapter of heavy metal history that has existed mostly in legend.
For a few hours inside Wooly’s, the universe shifted. The masks, the mythology, and the global phenomenon disappeared, replaced by something more primitive and more dangerous. Not the Slipknot that conquered the world, but the one that almost did. And for one unforgettable night, that was enough.
Some shows entertain. Some become memories. This one felt like opening a door that had been sealed for thirty years and discovering that the chaos waiting on the other side was still alive and rabid to escape.
