Slipknot - Slipknot
We’re reaching the end of Slipknot’s 25th anniversary of their self-titled, debut record (though technically this wasn’t their first album. That honor goes to Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.), so it felt fitting to squeeze a review in to honor the landmark record. The band was plagued with personnel changes before it could even get to this release, with Mick (guitar), Corey (vocals), and Sid (DJ) being late additions that helped define the band’s sound. Corey Taylor stands out, with a unique vocal style that can bounce from dark growls and screams to traditional clean vocals of passion and pain, and finally the rap/rock sounds of Nu-Metal. Mick Thomson and Josh Brainard shine on guitar, with sludgy, dark, moody guitar tones. Joey Jordison on drums moves at a breakneck speed, cementing him early on as one of the most talented drummers to come out of the 90s/early 2000s Nu-Metal era, and a commendable Metal drummer in general. The album they went on to create was loud, raw, pissed, fast, dark, twisted and fucked up at times. Corey was especially in a dark state of mind for much of the album’s writing, with the track “Diluted” being a great example of this. The band to this day has not performed the song live, with Corey talking in interviews about how he broke down in tears during the recording process from reliving the pain and trauma the lyrics invoked.
Slipknot helped propel Nu-Metal into the stratosphere with their own blend of Heavy Metal, Thrash, and Speed Metal baked into their foundation. This was uncommon for the genre at the time, but it allowed Slipknot to carve out a niche in the genre that Mudvayne would later join them in (to no surprise since Shawn of Slipknot executive produced, as well as Steve Richards, Slipknot’s manager at the time). This record (and band in general) would influence some of the biggest names in modern Metal; Knocked Loose, Upon a Burning Body, Suicide Silence, Of Mice & Men, Trivium, Whitechapel, and many more. Hell, Slipknot was a major inspiration for me when I used to write Metal music with buddies back in high school!
The tracks that stick out to me the most happen to appear one after the other: 4 songs in a row that showcase how cohesive the chaos is. “Eyeless” is one of my all-time favorite Slipknot songs, with the intro building with an eerie guitar riff over turntable scratching, launching into a vocal assault from Corey. The band also managed to blend Nu-Metal and Groove Metal in a way no one had heard of at that time. The song is lyrically layered too, with lines like "You can't see California without Marlon Brando's eyes" coming from a quote Corey Taylor took from a homeless guy on the street while he was in California, on his way back to the studio. The song was partly inspired by Corey's father (who he didn’t meet until he was in his 30s), as seen in the phrase "I am my father's son, cause he's a phantom, a mystery, and that leaves me nothing!". “Wait and Bleed” is a quick song that allows Corey to flex his clean vocals, while still beating us down with his screams. It was one of the band’s biggest songs unintentionally and resonated with the world in a way they never saw coming. It’s a song I always keep on my heavy playlists. “Surfacing” is another song where the intro builds, this time for over a minute, before unleashing a raw Metal beatdown that screams out “Fuck it all, fuck this world, fuck everything that you stand for” which lyrically speaks to themes of misanthropy and hatred. It also features one of Joey’s fastest kick drum assaults that gets me hyped every time I hear it. Finally, “Spit It Out” is heavily Nu-Metal focused, with the turntable working overtime and Corey spreading his time between cleans, screams, and rapping. This is one of the songs I’ll turn on if I need to get in the zone before a run, or while lifting.
For years I wanted to see the band live, hearing tales of how energetic and chaotic their shows were. I got the opportunity to accomplish that dream back in August when they were touring for the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album and I can say that it did not disappoint. I was able to share that moment with my best friend and once-upon-a-time music co-conspirator, making it that much more a momentous moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The band was able to tap into the raw and dark emotion the album presented all those years ago. If it weren’t for their follow-up record, Iowa, Slipknot would be their best work. Regardless, Slipknot would go down in history as one of the greatest and most influential Metal records of all time - a fact some people seem to forget in recent years.