Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

Corey Taylor – vocals
Joey Jordison – drums
Mick Thomson – guitars
James Root – guitars
Paul Gray – bass, backing vocal
Shawn “clown” Crahan – custom percussion, backing vocals
Chris fenn – custom percussion backing vocals
Craig “133” Jones – Samples, Media
Sid Wilson – Turntables

I first listened to Slipknot when I bought “Subliminal Verses” and was blown away by the energy in the music. This American heavy metal band from Iowa were formed in 1995, and hit the headlines with their debut album, Slipknot, in 1999. Their albums have been so successful that they are recognised as being one of the pioneering bands in the new wave of American Heavy Metal.

The opening track is “Execute”, I use the term “track” quite loosely because in typical Slipknot style it is in fact about a minute and a half of an intro into the album consisting of heavily distorted guitars making a noise as opposed to a riff. If you skip the intro you will get into the album proper, with Gematria. It’s a heavy start to an otherwise balanced album, with tracks such as “Snuff” providing a nice counterpoint to the harsher songs.

For me the highlight of the album is “Psychosocial”, because it launches straight into a powerful riff with no delay. The guitars and drums are tight, typically Slipknot! And that goes for the angst ridden lyrics too! The production is awesome with Dave Fortman at the desk, who also produced for Evanescence and Mudvayne. All in all it’s a great album that I would recommend to people.

By Jake