SLIPKNOT (IA) — Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (review)

SLIPKNOT (IA) — Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. album cover

Demo · 1996 · Alternative Metal

3.5/5 · 2020-11-17
siLLy puPPy

SLIPKNOT was of course one of the most successful bands to emerge from the nu metal craze that was extreme popular in the late 90s and early 2000s when artists emerged from nowhere and sold gazillions of albums virtually overnight. Despite SLIPKNOT scoring a double platinum with its first “official” self-titled release which came out in the summer of 1999, the band was formed as early as 1995 in the unlikely setting of Des Moines, Iowa by percussionist / vocalist Shawn Crahan, drummer Joey Jordison and bassist Paul Gray. Together they released an album of a completely different styles titled MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. which came out in 1996 and after the success of the following album with new singer Corey Taylor was demoted by the band as a “demo,” however in reality, MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. at 51 minutes in length and adequately produced IMHO truly is a bonafide album that is worthy of being considered the actual debut.

This album (or demo if you will) was the only one to feature the band’s original vocalist Anders Colsefini who was less attention getting than the overly aggressive style of Corey Taylor. Likewise SLIPKNOT at this point was following in the footsteps of Mr Bungle rather than the nu metal style of Korn (for the most part) which would propel them into the big leagues. While not exactly a clone of Mr Bungle in the stylistic department per se, at this point SLIPKNOT was very much into eclecticism where they mixed everything from death metal, industrial, funk and jazz as well as some 90s nu metal elements which makes this one of the most peculiar debuts of an extremely successful metal band ever to have emerged. MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. is actually quite the mind fuck really as it delivers a series of eight tracks that when considered in their entirety will give the impression that some of the tracks were slipped in by completely different tracks.

Unlike Mr Bungle that delivered an eclectic but somewhat consistent connecting tissue via the vocal style of Mike Patton, SLIPKNOT’s debut showcases not only an eclectic roster of music genres but stellar diverse performances by Colsefini however this little artifact remains somewhat of a mystery to casual nu metal worshippers and after the band’s ascent into the international spotlight, this bizarre alter ego of a debut became a hugely sought after afterthought that was fetching some pretty steep prices due to the fact that a mere 1000 copies were created. This album is by far the most experimental of SLIPKNOT’s entire career and in many ways is very hard to believe that this is the same band that would produce the 1999 release and beyond considering there is very little to connect this phase of the band’s existence to what would propel them into the nu metal superstardom arenas. Nevertheless, MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. is an interesting eclectic shit show of styles and for that reason many who loathe the nu metal style have come to appreciate this one.

Where does one even begin with this one? Well, with the opening track called “Slipknot” of course. This track insinuates that the album’s going to be a dark industrial metal album with a tortuous Godflesh inspired introductory groove that takes on the cyclical processions of a post-rock album with bleaker visions. The track forges ahead and then drifts into 80s heavy metal territory with melodic lead guitars soaring above the otherwise down-tuned alternative metal riffs below the surface. OK! Then after the five minute mark, the track morphs into a doomy death metal style that also adopts some of Pantera’s groove metal riffing. Not bad actually. This is some excellent melding of contemporary influences for sure and while all that is going on, the drumming style imitates the sparseness of both the nu metal and sludge metal acts of the 90s. “Gently” follows with a melodic arpeggiated guitar mix that sounds right out of the 80s “Ride The Lightning” era Metallica playbook although it becomes more like what the band would become and a sneak preview for the style the band would follow on their next album.

Starting with “Do Nothing / Bitchslap” the band goes bonkers with a funk metal intro that reminds me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Mother’s Milk” album but then converts it to an industrial death metal sort of sound. The metal drops often and allows some weird funky jazz interludes to completely take over. Some of the crazy trade-offs are right out of the Mr Bungle playbook with funk metal from that band’s debut and the more crazy batshit weird efforts influenced by the “Disco Volante” album. Extremely bombastic outbursts jump out at the end and periodically throughout the album. “Only One” features rap and funk guitar mixed with extreme metal which also showcases the band’s future sound in the vein of Korn but here it’s cruder and presented in a seriously raw manner. “Tattered & Torn” is right out of the Korn playbook with those classic bass lines mixed with the DJ inspired guitar counterpoints only accompanied by those extremely aggressive vocal styles SLIPKNOT is famous for.

The rest of the album continues the bizarre mix that borrowed from all the aforementioned influences in unpredictable ways with a lot of attention paid to not only funk, rap and extreme metal but also includes some disco! I can understand why many do not like this album or this band in general. SLIPKNOT and other nu metal acts were a direct slap in the face to the established 80s metal scene but in reality that style had sort of stagnated and become a parody of itself in many ways so albums like MFKRl, while not perfect were quite interesting in how they were trying to reinvent the metal world by adding all of the styles on board. “Killers Are Quiet” is also quite bizarre as it sounds like a mix of Godflesh and Neubauten Einstürzende and consists of three parts including an (annoying) 4:45 of silence.)

SLIPKNOT may have been heavily inspired by Mr Bungle at this point but did a great job not trying to sound like them.Like most bands, SLIPKNOT was experimenting and trying to find its own voice and ultimately they would follow the Korn route on their self-titled 1999 release. Personally i like this one a lot even if it has some serious flaws. This is truly a bizarre album that will piss off genre purists but will thrill avant-gardists who thrive on uncertainty, constant change and completely unhinged shenanigans that offer few clues as to the next move. Sometimes fun trumps perfection and this is certainly the case of MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. MATE. FEED. KILL. REPEAT. mate. feed. kill. repeat. m…. f…. k…. r….. mtkr…blip. blip. blip. b-l-i-p….