If Slipknot were to ever add a tenth member, we hope it's a hurdy-gurdy player. YouTuber Michalina Malisz has repurposed five of the band's riffs on the hand crank folk instrument and it actually sounds pretty cool.

It definitely helps that Malisz is playing along to a backing track of drums and bass, so the hurdy-gurdy has essentially replaced the guitar in the songs she elected to partially cover.

Before we get into those songs though, let's first get up to speed on what a hurdy-gurdy is. Any fans of Swiss folk metal group Eluveitie can skip ahead as this information will likely be redundant (the band is now on their fourth hurdy-gurdy player).

This instrument is unique as it features a combination of features spread across various instruments more well known in the modern day. The hurdy-gurdy is a hand crank string instrument that produces sound when a wheel inside the body rubs against the strings. Along the body is a bed of keys that are used to create melodies.

The exact origin of the instrument is uncertain, but is said to have links to either Europe or the Middle-East some time before the 11th century.

Now that we're equipped with fundamental knowledge of the hurdy-gurdy, it's time to get to this video. The five songs Malisz covers, in part, are "The Devil In I," "Psychosocial," "Before I Forget," "Dead Memories" and "Unsainted." Each song carries a much different atmosphere from the others, which underscores just how versatile this instrument is.

Watch the video below and for more metal riffs played on the hurdy-gurdy, visit Malisz's YouTube channel.

5 Slipknot Riffs Played on a Hurdy-Gurdy

The Evolution of Slipknot's Terrifying Masks

 

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