Slipknot have been through a torrid time recently, something which was sparked by the untimely death of bass player and highly influential member Paul ‘#2’ Gray, and then the parting of ways with their drummer Joey Jordison. Regardless, we’re incredibly lucky to have the band still together, let alone a new album to sink our teeth into. Slipknot are influential in the music scene, and will, one day, be known as a legendary band, but that only adds pressure to the already insurmountable hype surrounding the new album. Look at Metallica for example, there was so much hype surrounding Death Magnetic that when it was released it came out to not so favourable reviews, when, overall, it was quite a good album. Luckily Slipknot have not faltered, they’ve come out swinging and put in a valiant performance for a comeback.
The album’s sound harpers back to Iowa days, a bit more metallic, and a little less melodic. The core Slipknot sound is ever present, yet there is enough difference here to be noticeable and yet at the same time it’s never a problem. The drums aren’t as quick and heart racing as they were with Joey, but they’re still very impressive, and to make up for it you get incredible quick guitar solos in their place, such as in ‘Nomadic’. ‘The Gray Chapter’ also has its fair share of fan favourites, the already released ‘The Negative One’, and ‘The Devil In I’ are the obvious ones to pick out, but ‘Skeptic’ and ‘Sarcastrophe’ are both very much capable of making a crowd go really nuts.
Slipknot have this incredible ability to make music that is so instantly recognisable, they really do possess an inherent sound that is unique to Slipknot, and Slipknot alone. There is something about the album though that just bugs us, we don’t know if it’s the lack of Joey’s drumming or if it’s the absence of a Paul Gray influence, but overall the album feels a lot different to what they’ve produced before. This really isn’t a problem for the entire album, but will more than likely bug a number of die hard ‘Knot fans.
I don’t think The Gray Chapter will be anyone’s favourite Slipknot album, but it’s incredibly commendable to have them come back and create something of this calibre, and with everything that’s happened to them. When The Rev died, Avenged Sevenfold’s sound changed drastically, and overall probably not for the best; but Slipknot have come back from such hard and difficult times, and used it as fuel for their next release, and still stuck with their roots, something which overall has paid off.
