great new metal, not as melodious as the self-titled
When I first heard of Slipknot in 1999 when they released their self-titled album, I didn't really think much of them. I figured they were probably just another rap-metal act jumping on the bandwagon, as unoriginal and manufactured as other such acts as Limp Bizkit and P.O.D. However, I heard from a friend that Slipknot was definitely something different. After I heard the song "Spit It Out" they reminded me more of older metal bands, especially Slayer and Sepultura. I decided to buy Slipknot at a used music store, and was definitely not dissapointed. Slipknot is a much heavier and percussion-driven band than any other mainstream metal act to surface in the 90's. Clever songwriting and slick productions made their first record one of my new favorites, so needless to say, I was looking forward to their new album, Iowa. As contested by Slipknot themselves, Iowa is much heavier and darker than the last record. Most of the melody from songs on the self-titled such as "Wait and Bleed", "Spit It Out" and "Eyeless" is gone, but replaced with sludgy, head-banging cuts such as "People=...", "My Plague", and especially, "The Heretic Anthem". The only real melody to be found on Iowa is in "Left Behind". The record will of course satisfy Slipknot fans who loved songs such as "(sic)" and "Surfacing". An admirable follow-up which would be a great choice for anyone who is looking for something harder, and for a change from the TRL-friendly, teen pop-metal, dominating the mainstream metal scene.
Iowa
Every generation gets the heavy metal heroes it deserves. The hedonistic '70s produced Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith. The superficial '80s gave us Moetley Cruee and Poison. And now, the violent, dysfunctional days of this new millennium have given us the frightening Slipknot, the new Antichrist superstars of disaffected teens everywhere.
We should not be surprised by their popularity. Everything about this nine-member troupe from Des Moines is tailor-made to appeal to surly adolescents. Start with the look, which is, after all, just as important to kids as the music: The members perform in identical industrial coveralls. They wear freaky-creepy horror-movie masks. They go by single-digit numbers instead of names. Think about it: Anonymity, withdrawal from conventional society, the creation of a fearful new persona, a sense of belonging to a rebellious and powerful group -- what more could your average teen want except a side of fries?
In Slipknot's case, that would be the music -- a monstrously heavy and explosively destructive cacophony of pain and mayhem more akin to the blackest European death metal than the comparatively benign rap-rock of Limp Bizkit. Searing sheets of guitars, pummeling waves of maniacally frenzied rhythm, nuclear-powered bass guitars and tortured vocals that veer from a guttural growl to a white-hot primal scream are the main ingredients in this recipe. And it's all served up with a bottomless lyrical cup of bitter psychotic rage. The message is simple: Slipknot hate everything about society. And everybody in it. Us, themselves, you -- especially you.
Amazingly enough, they're even more pissed off on their second major-label album Iowa than they were on their eponymous 1999 debut. That album was like a middle finger stuck in the face of the world; this one is more like a fist heading towards your skull. On shiny, happy tunes with titles like People = S--, My Plague, I am Hated and New Abortion, Slipknot make their intentions graphically clear: They don't just want you to clear off. They want to stab you, bathe themselves in your blood and have sex with your corpse. We are not hyperbolizing. "I wanna slit your throat and f-- the wound / I wanna push my face in and feel the swoon," bellows vocalist No. 8 on the devastating Disasterpiece, one of the 14 violence-drenched assaults in this hour-long session of brutality. And you thought Marilyn Manson was evil?
Slipknot may not be evil but they're damned clever. The warning sticker on this CD (at least on the review copy we got) is stuck to the outer plastic wrapper, so kids who buy it can remove it before they get home. As much as we hate those stickers and the censorship they represent, that sneaky tactic concerns us. Slipknot's Iowa is an album every responsible parent should hear, both by themselves and with their kids. Not to try to dissuade teens from listening to Slipknot -- frankly, these songs are so relentlessly over the top and indistinguishably one-dimensional that even kids should get bored of them pretty quick. But adults might want to point out to the young 'uns that Slipknot is selling rebellion the same way McDonald's sells those fries. And that while their horrifically violent reactions to life and its evils make for excellent cathartic fantasies -- and we all have them -- they aren't to be confused with reality.
Otherwise, we suspect it's only a matter of time until another confused, neglected kid listens to a disc like this, picks up a weapon and screws up a whole bunch of lives. And if we as a society just let that happen, it will be just what we deserve.
From ( s i c) to, uhhh, even better!
Okay this CD is pretty much just sic all around, but here's how it goes (oh, make sure you buy it!!)
515- Noises, weird, what can I say.
People (...) Very bold, a semi-gradual intro to a very hardcore song, good stuff.
Disasterpiece- One of the most sic guitar lines, it flows, it's heavy, it's the sicness.
My Plague- I like how this one goes, a rappy set of verses, with a wicked chorus, very thrash towards the end.
Everything Ends- I love this song, it has a little bit of depressed-mood lyrics, but it's very fast after you get into it.
The Heretic Anthem- Great all around, you gotta love the message, good song live too, gnarly stuff.
Gently- This song is a little out of place for this CD, not the greatest, all I can say.
Left Behind- Melodical, wicked, great message in the lyrics, Corey isn't the greatest of making sense, but he wrote this one well, show stopper here.
The Shape- A verrrry sic song, (like the whole CD, save me some breath) the chorus keeps it pumpin along, you want more, more!
I am Hated- A stop from illusions, here is reality, no whinyness here, just THRASH, love the lyrics, it shows alot of feeling.
Skin Ticket- Slower at the start, greeaaaatt song though, I love the part"Come see my cage built in my grave", Corey expresses his hate well, the whole CD.
New Abortion- Mick and Jim always put out good riffs, and Joey keeps the pedals pumping, this song is a masterpiece melodically, sic chorus, keeps on flowin.
Metabolic- VERY underrated song, my Fav. on the CD, I love where it bridges with the drumroll and the screams, Maggot material extreme here, worship it people.
Iowa- Gee, the song that should be the best on the CD sucks, and it's long, wow, chop this parta the cd off.
Dont recomend this CD.....
This album is very repetative. All the songs sound the same and are poorly done. The title track is 15 minutes of sh** if you ask me. I would not want to waste 15 minutes of my life listening to that song. Recommend Metallica or Motograter over this CD anytime.
Real Metal
This CD is real metal. Anyone who talks crap about this cd isnt into heavy metal, they are probably into pop music, rap/hip-hop, junior high school girls chorus, etc.
People who ARE into heavy metal love Slipknot, and especially IOWA, since IOWA contains that hardcore, unforgiving element. Great CD overall if your a fan of heavy/death metal.
Right from the introductory shriek and grind of "(515)," you know Slipknot are deadly serious about making a real heavy metal album. Iowa is intimidating in its unforgiving heaviness. Produced to perfection by wunderkind Ross Robinson, it takes the best of Slayer as a starting point. "People = Shit," "The Heretic Anthem," and "New Abortion" are relentless and wholly brutal, but this is no mere thrash. "Disasterpiece" features a weird, hypnotic riff, while "Left Behind" comes across like a duet between Alice in Chains' Layne Staley and Slayer's Tom Araya. The rerecorded "Gently" builds slowly from industrial atmospherics to a punishing explosion of noise. The title track (also old and formerly known as "Killers Are Quiet") is a deeply unsettling heavy-metal "Midnight Rambler." Frontman Corey Taylor claims to have performed it naked and bleeding from self-inflicted wounds, which isn't hard to believe. This masterfully constructed collection is painfully raw and utterly compelling. --Dominic Wills
