Slipknot finds New Ground on The End, So Far ALBUM REVIEW

Slipknot releases feel like events to me. The anticipation of what their new sound is, what masks are going to be on display this time around, the otherworldly creepy teasers, all of this and more comes in as a stormfront. This is an album that deserves your time and patience throughout. The Knot put together a collection of Slipknot trademarked and new sounds. Some songs took a few listens to fully take it in like on their melancholic Radiohead-esque Adderall, creepy and slow burning Yen, the bluesy and western Acidic, and Heirloom which holds all clean vocals balanced with abrasive chugging. While there are recycled riffs that appear occasionally on the album like on Chapeltown Rag filled with blast beats, thrashing guitars and Corey's piercing vocals. Hivemind; Akin to Pulse of the Maggots and even Nero Forte which as solidified as a powerhouse in their discography which builds up in anticipation that is MADE for live shows; they are still just as effective and are uniquely different blended with some jarring and exciting progressions. The lyrics fluctuate from peaks to valley every little while. I think at the lowest points on this album, The Chapeltown Rag's "Everything is God Online" and Hivemind's "For your own entertainment, this hell comes to you live". Warranty has a relatively tongue in cheek set of lyrics like, "blah blah blah...I don't wanna hear shit" and "Catch a tiger by the to-tal price of all the penalties." These got a good laugh out of me but I know there will be may among the Slipknot fans that hates lines like this but it does follow up to a sic(k) breakdown that'll kill live; "Got it all back but I blew it on the trade-in". The other succeeding singles both showed different perspectives to the album. The Dying Song (Time to Sing) puts Jay's drumming here is the spotlight and he shows why he is being hailed as the best drummer of the last few years. The song is balanced well being relentless and anthemic making it a great use of a single. Lyrically, I found it strong pointing at a lack of empathy and support leading you to "Sing this dying song alone." This was followed by the Type O Negative influenced Yen filled with creepy verses. The song is more in line to tracks like Vermillion + Killpop. I love the chorus here, extremely hooky with hints of heavy chords that come in like a wrecking ball. Sid's scratch solo is the Slipknot sound we need. The bridge is gorgeous with glistening cymbals, Corey's melodies, "I wish this pain could last forever; I wish this kill could make me suffer for good" and a broken child's piano; It's proof this band doesn't need to rip your head off on every song.

The album does feel like a continuation of what the band has created on We Are Not Your Kind especially on Medicine for the Dead but feels like a song that was left on the cutting floor and stitched together for this new album; not a bad song in particular, just one that I would either skip into or entirely. The standouts on this album are definitely the last leg of the album, H377, De Sade and Finale. H377 showing Corey's vocals are actually aging like a fine wine. Don't let the edgy title fool you, this is a fantastic entry to the 9, I can't help to see it as a true successor to the frantic vocal flow and pulse pounding drums of Vol. 3. Overall, an extremely fun track and if Corey is able to pull this off live; that would be one hell of a feat especially on the visceral bridge, "I was a sign, The sign was in the eyes; the eyes were in the skull; the skull was in the war; the war was in my head; my head was in the ground: the ground was all decayed; the rotting had a name, the name was a sign." The band goes for a darker love song on De Sade and it works well enough and then exceeds expectations by a lot to give this song a beating heart with one of Corey Taylor's strongest vocal performance and lyrics; "For the word of your will, and the edge of your purest woe.". From a melodic chorus to a crunching outro with Mick and Jim trading off solos and riffs, it's glorious and those two really have become an important asset to this band's sound. Then, the album closes with a reflection on 20+ years of a lifetime. A melancholic song that builds up more and more, not into eruption but spectacle. Despite consequences, hardships, and risk; it feels like a real genuine sound and lyrically, Corey sums up the longtime in the band with short phrases to describe the constant cycle of darker thoughts to their dedication and hard work prevailing. There is maybe even as a thank you to the fans in here somewhere. Either way, if The End, So Far is the bookend to the Nine, it might be one of the best endings to a strong discography. 88% Best: De Sade, Finale, H377, Warranty, Adderall Least Favorite: Medicine for the Dead, Acidic