Clowns and posers are only a couple of the names people have used to describe Slipknot ever since these nine masked individuals exploded into the metal scene with their self titled debut in 1999. Well, looking back at the time when people first got into Slipknot it was hard not to like them, they had a different image (albeit a cheesy one, but appealing none the less), they had the attitude and most importantly they had the music to back it up. Some rock journalists even dubbed them “the new metal masters”, a title that well, isn’t very fitting considering the amount of bands that can blow Slipknot out of the water, but they certainly kept their end of the bargain in delivering brutal heavy metallic rock to mainstream audiences. But it was after the release of the much anticipated “Iowa” that the band almost lost their credibility; the album was uninspired and felt like another nu-metal album manufactured by a record company, packaged and sold to teenagers like any other product you can find at a shopping mall. It lost the essence of metal, and it also didn’t feel like a Slipknot album. So, after most of the world wrote them off, they did what some believe was the best move in their career and that was teaming up with producer Rick Rubin (Slayer, System of a Down, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and delivered their third album aptly titled “Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses”. The album was inconsistent and confusing for most fans, it had guitar solos, acoustic songs and lots of harmonizing from singer Corey Taylor; it felt like the bastard child of Slayer and Radiohead. As confusing as it was, the album had one element to it that was the most surprising and it was that Slipknot was actually writing metal songs, and gave them the blueprint to create “All Hope Is Gone”, an unabashed, brutal, fast and heavy collection of songs that is sure to raise eyebrows and silence many of the haters.

After the brief intro of “Execute” the album starts with a polished thrasher entitled “Gematria (The Killing Name)”, the song is fast, intricate and has some tight riffing courtesy of Mick Thomson and Jim Root. Also check out the blazing guitar duel at the 2:34 min mark. Singer Corey Taylor sings as if his life depended on it and drummer Joey Jordison is firmly cementing himself as one of the best metal drummers of all time. The fast thrasher is followed by “Sulfur”, a song that incorporates some death metal riffs along with more thrash rhythms and a very melodic chorus that displays a side of Taylor’s voice that hasn’t been used very often in Slipknot’s music. The one-two punch of those songs is followed by a third punch with the album’s first single “Psychosocial”. This song is everything you’d expect from the band. Heavy guitars fused with crunching bass lines, improvised percussion, great drumming and lyrics filled with hooks; the song is basically designed to be played at an arena with thousands of fans chanting along. The album doesn’t get away without fillers, as there are a couple of songs that feel rushed and more radio friendly, “Dead Memories” being the first one, with a slow build-up but no payoff at the end, although the song does have a very good guitar solo. “Vendetta” picks up the pace again with thundering drums and death metal riffing at the beginning, followed by verses with a stoner metal groove laid underneath and a great chorus that gets the blood boiling. It also has a nice breakdown and pace change around the 3:15 min mark. “Butcher’s Hook” moves the record along with a more industrial vibe, but the melodic chorus actually brings the song down and leaves it in filler-land. Slipknot has always tried to write songs that break the known boundaries of song structure, and “Gehenna” is an example of this. Shifting from very murky verses and eerie melodies to heavier parts, the song is good but hard to take in and will probably require a couple of extra spins before it really sinks in. But after some experimenting the metal comes back to the forefront with “This Cold Black”, a song that is the highlight of the album and finds the band firing on all cylinders. This one is a song that fans should be looking forward in the band’s live set list. The album goes on with another slammer in the form of “Wherein Lies Continue” and the acoustic ballad “Snuff”. In the end the band closes the album with the title track, a death metal riff fest that literally rips your face off from start to finish and leaves the listener begging for more.

Slipknot have fought an uphill battle against the media and the metal scene ever since they first came into the spotlight, but they have survived the different tribulations of the rockstar lifestyle and also survived the cold and ugly (and deserving) death that nu-metal has had in last few years. The band has since moved on and created some of the best music in their careers, that is filled with greatness and imperfections at the same time, but much like any human being Slipknot is here to stay and “All Hope Is Gone” is definite proof that we will hear from the maggots once again in the future.