Slipknot, Slipknot

i got the 10th anniversary and its better because it has a dvd full of live song music vids and more plus the cd has 10 bonus tracks andit is so good i love it they are psychos but they are really good i didn't think it would be very good because it was thier first album but... i'm silly on that one all the songs were good but the standouts have to be wait and bleed, spit it out, surfacing, (sic), eeyore & snap all amazing love them all really i'm not the biggest metal fan but i'm not a softy so i enjoyed it and the songs the album the material i like slipknot and stuff like that but.. if you are a metal fan or like stuff like that like slipknot etc then you will share my pleasure by getting this album so if your reading this get of your lazy a*s and buy it now

A great debut album for SlipKnoT to become recognised in 1999, especially regarding the Nu-metal side. The heaviest bands back then in the genre where Limp Bizkit and Korn, but compared to SlipKnoT they are quiet. This CD completely blew the competition away and helped make them the sucess they are today. However, SlipKnoT is definitely not to everyones taste, even if you like other alternative metal bands SlipKnoT is quite an aquired taste. Their sound brings to mind the likes of Slayer crossed with Korn, also imparticularly Sepulturas mid 90's work. If you are fans of those bands you should feel right at home listening to SlipKnoT.

Well, Slipknot the nu-metal outfit from Des Moines, Iowa, was one of the forerunners in the nu-metal boom back in 1999-2000. Loud, angry, and nothing that a lot of people heard before. They became one of those prime examples of bands that people either came to love or loved to hate. In the simple terms if you find things such as down-tuned guitars, raunchy chords, unrelenting screaming, unique percussion, sampling, record scratching, some occasional rapping, sound attractive to you. Than you may have come to the right place.

Slipknot is not a band I love, yet to me isn't a band I hate either. Perhaps its a little of both for me. When I was first getting into metal I loved Slipknot and I really thought and believed in what they were doing. I loved their vision their uniqueness, aggression. As I've matured in my tastes and travelled the realms of metal I seem to unfortunately come across Slipknot as being plainly juvenile and, so to speak, a dime in the dozen. I still have nothing against the band I though, for the life of me, can't see what's so special about their self-titled CD.

Nothing stands out to me much, with the exceptions of "Wait and Bleed", "Diluted", "Only One", and "Purity" (in the first press). All the other songs to me are simply not worth the time. "(sic)" and "Surfacing", two of the more popular tracks on their album, are too me are quite monotonous, in particular. The rest of the songs to me just ran through my ears like water. Nothing for me clicked. The album for me was simply under-developed and could have been quite better than it turned out to be. "Spit It Out" was probably the most interesting track, even though not a favourite of mine, which was an interesting twist with the rapping and chorus. All it was to me was recycled chords, screaming, and effects. The album lacked texture, versatility, and seemed to skid off the original vision. I wish there were more songs like "Wait and Bleed" and "Purity" songs with much more heartfelt emotion, structure, and a bit of melody. Those two tracks stand out in particular when compared to the other more monotone tracks throughout the album.

Therefore, in my humble opinion, if you want to get a Slipknot CD I'd stick with "Iowa" and "Vol.3 Subliminal Verses". Both of these CDs are generally more developed, and really shows Slipknot at it's peak. "Iowa" shows Slipknot pursuing their original aggressive nu-metal sound, while Vol. 3 is much more of a progressive album with more dimension. For those who like Slipknot and it's nu-metal sound, I'd recommend checking into: Mushroomhead, Dry Kill Logic, Coal Chamber, Nothingface, Spineshank, Helmet, Korn, Static-X, early Fear Factory (even though later stuff is worth checking out as well if you want to expand), early Chimiara (even though later stuff is worth checking out as well if you want to expand), early System of a Down, Dope, Rammstein, Disturbed, etc.

I though also encourage checking into more in-depth the other genres of metal such as death, black/viking, thrash, progressive, power, classic/ heavy metal, metalcore/hardcore, etc. which I believe will really help in widening your horizons for those who aren't familiar with them. I personally wouldn't buy the album. I though would still buy "Iowa" and "Subliminal Verses", and would recommend those for both the diehard or casual Slipknot fan. I still enjoy the band every now and again but this album excluding a couple songs, in my opinion is really boring.

-1984