SLIPKNOT (IA) — Iowa (review)

SLIPKNOT (IA) — Iowa album cover Album · 2001 · Nu Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Mjöllnir
Slipknot’s second Roadrunner (third actual) album is a bit of a nu metal classic, though that’s not much praise knowing my tastes. I’ve long since gotten off the “nu metal isn’t metal” bandwagon, but still I can’t recommend this much to fans of most every other sub genre.

But there is promise here nonetheless. Shunning the breakbeats and prominent bass guitar and incorporating a more death metal inspired approach worked in their favour to give them their own personality in the alt metal glut of the late 90s/early 00s. The first few songs are grinding, thrashing beasts with light turntabling and a huge sound (having 9 members helps, though Ross Robinson’s production must take a good chunk of that credit). People=Shit is in particular powerful and one of the more brutal songs to make it to the fringes of the mainstream.

I find fault mainly in the horrible lyrics, which put me off greatly. Now normally, lyrics are hardly a point of contention for me in enjoying the music behind them. But here the endless reams of swear words and angst are a bit too much to bear. A very personal gripe I’ll admit but a real bother this time around. I also find the middle pack of songs become an over familiar jumble. The nauseating 15-min drone of the title track is a little too much for me too. It was reworked from the track “Killers are Quiet” from “Mate Feed Kill Repeat” and while epic length, it seems to drag rather than captivate with repetitive form.

Maybe the preceding and following albums are stronger but this is what comes to mind when I think of Slipknot. Plus, the original booklet was an incredible sight to see!
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