It’s hard to believe that back in 2004, Slipknot were about to unleash what would be their most successful album to date which would take them on a path to metal glory. Their third studio album Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses) was released through Roadrunner Records on 25th May 2004, which would end up bagging the band a Grammy award for their anthem ‘Before I Forget’. The masked mob from Iowa fucking up the red carpet fully masked was not only a triumph for metal but it was also a big fuck you to all the other zealous pop divas and mainstream puppets. It was one of my first memories of Slipknot and I have been a ‘Maggot’ ever since!
At the time, I was going through a phase of transition, from a grade A dickhead who loved wearing Nike track suits, to a well rounded grunger with skate shoes and baggy trousers. With my musical taste’s taking a trip to the heavier side of life (for the better I might add), this was the first proper metal album I listened to and the moment I pressed that play button on my CD player (remember those) it changed my life forever, it opened my eyes to the world of metal and from there on out I knew what genre of music would take precedence on my life.
Produced by the musical maestro that is Rick Rubin, who has produced some of the most groundbreaking albums in the world, The Subliminal Verses would see Slipknot tone down the profanity but at the same time create some of the most iconic metal bangers from the last 10 years, these songs don’t just represent a triumph for metal but they represent a time where nu-metal was still King. Slipknot would become one of the most important bands in last 20 years with the release of this album, it allowed the band to become more mainstream while holding onto their savage roots.
Accused of softening their sound, which is just a pure insult, it showed a band maturing into one of the biggest bands on the planet. Tracks like ‘Circle’s’ and ‘Vermillion Pt.2’ would see the band use acoustic guitars for the first time, as a way of mixing up their sound and showing that they were more dimensional. Who wants to release the same album over and over again? Well, apart from Nickelback, but ask any musician out there, they all want to make steps forward by making sure each release sounds different from the previous. The extreme Slipknot sound was still very much present, especially with cult favourites ‘Pulse Of The Maggots’ and ‘The Blister Exists’ these were still exhilarating full blooded metal monsters.
‘Duality’ and ‘Before I Forget’ were certified bangers back then and even 10 years later they still turn any festival field into a chaotic frenzy. Slipknot added more melody into their already savage metal pedigree, this allowed these tracks to enter a league of their own. How can we forget the video to ‘Duality’ where the band invited some of their most hardcore maggots to come down to a house in Iowa and complete fuck the place up. It embodies everything that Slipknot is about, skull crushingly aggressive metal, brotherhood and pure anarchy, this band became the biggest metal band in the Noughties and today it sees them top the biggest festivals in the world!
A decade later and a lot has changed in the Slipknot camp, we tragically lost Paul Gray back in 2010 and drumming god Joey Jordison left the band for reasons unknown. The band are currently on a mass media blackout, while they write their brand new album, which will be their first since 2008. The legacy of The Subliminal Verses was and still is a modern day masterpiece that allowed Slipknot to become legends amongst the metal world. Even today people go crazy for this album, all you have to do is look at the last Record Store Day where a special edition vinyl was released to celebrate 10 years of this album. Mark the 25th of May in your calender people, Its Subliminal Verses day and I know full well I shall be blasting that album out all day until my ears bleed!
