Roadrunner Records
Slipknot's much awaited second album, Iowa, has
come to haunt me. When asked to review this CD
I had some doubts as I had never heard any of their
music and only knew about them from a couple of
Rolling Stone interviews. So, I stuck the CD in the
player and pushed play. After listening to "(515)" and
a little of "People = Shit" I turned it off, and sat
it back on the shelf for a couple of days. I knew I had to
write the review, so I tried again on track number 3,
"Disasterpiece". Not bad: good guitar in the opening,
nice drums, weird-ass lyrics. Maybe this has potential.
Then I got to "My Plague". This song is great.
Having never heard any other Slipknot, I have nothing
to compare it to, but I love it. I listened to it three
times before continuing the CD.
The nine piece band, started by Shawn Crahan and
Paul Gray in late 1995, are always masked and wear
numbered jumpsuits. They are 0 DJ Sid Wilson, 1
drummer Joey Jordison, 2 bassist Paul Gray, 3
percussionist Chris Fehn, 4 guitarist James Root, 5
sampler Craig Jones, 6 percussionist Shawn Crahan, 7
guitarist Mic Thompson, and 8 vocalist Corey Taylor.
"Everybody fell into a number," says Shawn. "There was
not one person in the band arguing over a number. It
was really weird." You may wonder why on earth they
need nine members.
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Crahan explains, "We've maintained
an excellent practice schedule for the last three
years. Everybody's on time, everybody's always there,
and we always practice as a unit. Our music is so
reliant on each other that if one guy, even the DJ, is
gone, it just wouldn't be our songs without him.
Without one person, something is really, really
missing. Everybody has to be present. Even the
littlest things make the songs magical.". Together
they form a frightening group in their twisted masks
that lay down serious metal and hard core music.
Produced by Ross Robinson who also did the band's
first album, Iowa contains everything one has come to expect
from Slipknot with a little extra added heaviness for flavour. 64 minutes of
screeching guitars, pounding drums, and hair-raising
screams. This album is much like their live shows,
from a band that has been called, "the best live
band in ten years". Their shows pulsate with raw
untamed energy that often leaves them exhausted and
vomiting. It is also described as "a murderous,
rampaging free-for-all that threatens to engulf the
entire venue, Slipknot is a sonic assault on all five
senses that makes you wish you had a sixth".
By Jason Finch, CanEHdian.com
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