We Are Not Your Kind

Slipknot

Roadrunner, 2019

http://www.slipknot1.com

REVIEW BY: Pete Crigler

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/12/2019

Thank God for Slipknot! Unlike Tool, you know you’re going to get something dark and super heavy each record. While their comeback disc, 2014’s The Gray Chapter was one of their most interesting records, this disc is something else entirely. Super dark and punishingly brutal, this is without a doubt one of the heaviest records I’ve heard all year.

From the opening real track “Unsainted,” the band is clearly playing for keeps. The music is super quick, almost thrash-like and Corey’s vocals sound straight out of my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Iowa, which I was not expecting to hear at all. “Nero Forte” is full of great guitar work and the standard percussion that helped set Slipknot apart from the rest of the nu metal pack. “Critical Darling” is the song that Slipknot always has that should get radio play, and that’s what still makes the band so appealing all these years later. Closing track “Solway Firth” is one of the heaviest tracks and allows Corey to step away from his standard vocals and differentiate things a bit.

Suffice to say, I think “A Liar’s Funeral” is one of their best songs. This one features slow, acoustic-driven verses with heavy choruses and Corey being able to utilize his natural voice; it all just comes together in a great package that keeps you coming back for more.

There are a few tracks, like “Red Flag,” that don’t really cover any new ground but one or two just okay tracks are just fine with me. I’d much rather have a great 10 track Slipknot disc than an eight track 80-minute Tool disc any day of the week.

“Spiders” is one of the most different tracks I’ve heard from the guys, but it’s still good. It’s got some great guitars and isn’t as punishing as other tracks here. “My Pain,” which is near seven minutes but feels like an interlude, is just experimental, which is cool because it shows the band can still do whatever they really feel like and that fans will still be onboard.

This is definitely one of the most exciting metal records I’ve heard all year and any major Slipknot fan will be happy to have their great band back.

Rating: A-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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