During a recent interview, ’Knot frontman Corey Taylor told this reviewer that “with the new album, we’ve tried to inject some hope”.
After listening to it, I hope he was being ironic, because this album is saturated with despair.
But that isn’t meant as a slight on the band, because their third album is also their best and most complete yet. Right from the off they throw the listener a curve ball by opening with a brooding, industrial rumbler called _Prelude 3.0. _
The record’s real gem, though, is Vermilion, a song that creeps up behind you, where before Slipknot may have charged like bulls. Featuring Taylor’s best vocal performance yet in a boiler suit, it’s a song that they may not have been capable of before they went off to their various side-projects, and it’s a sign of just how far they’ve progressed since Iowa. Duality (the next single) and Welcome are standard Slipknot and will keep the old (young) fans happy, but there are tracks on here that are nothing short of astonishing and which may broaden the band’s appeal. ★★★★
