Slipknot, We Are Not Your Kind, Album Review
Slipknot
We Are Not Your Kind
Album Review
This has been an album that hasn't only just been highly anticipated since the beginning of 2019, but ever since it was announced.
We Are Not Your Kind is the sixth studio album from one of the most exciting, unique and versatile metal bands of the 21st century; Slipknot. I have been in love with this band for a very long time, and to this day still praise their self-titled debut as one of the greatest albums to ever exist.
Despite the 9 having a bit of a switch-up in terms of their members, as well as Slipknot having their edge blunted slightly with their fifth instalment, 2014's .5: The Gray Chapter (which served more as a biter-sweet homage to original bassist Paul Gray, rather than a continuation of Slipknots signature aggression), This album was hyped up from its announcement to its release.
The bands return to music after almost 5 years was heralded by the standalone single "All Out Life", which served as a criticism towards the current state of the music industry, as well as a sign of Slipknot approach towards this new album. Despite this track essentially being the first to promote the new album, it does not appear on the albums track-list. However, this is something that I personally don't mind too much, as I feel "All Out Life" works well as a lone track.
There were words of this album being just as aggressive as Slipknot were in their golden years, being heavily compared to their second album Iowa. Others claimed it was nothing like anything that Slipknot has ever done before. And in some weird sense, both of these claims are somewhat true.
Furthermore, those who got early access to this album, gave it 5 stars across the board. Every existing review I've seen so far has essentially regarded this album as perfect. All three of the teaser tracks; "Unsainted", "Solway Firth" and "Birth Of The Cruel" definitely painted a horrifyingly brilliant picture of what was on the way. So with that being said, I went into this album with sky high hopes.
After listening to this album myself, the best way for me to describe it, is that it doesn't sound like a specific slipknot album. but, it feels a lot like how they did back in the day.
What I mean by this is while Slipknot's sound has inevitably changed a fair bit over the course of 20 years, the energy and aggression they convey is just as sincere and as genuine as is used to be. It didn't come across as the band being furious as they felt it was a necessity to appeal to their fans. It was their own actual anger being poured into this project, after being stored away for a matter of years.
While the aggression was definitely there, the album is still very melodic for the most part, adding a great level of accessibility for new fans. And overall, I think the mixture of aggression and melody has been crafted expertly on this album.
While I do appreciate the artistic narrative on the album with all of its interludes and extensive musical segments at the end of songs, I feel it is these elements that detract the most from this album, and ultimately stops We Are Not Your Kind from being a completely perfect album.
There are a total of three interludes scattered across this album. And while they do add a hint of atmospheric quality, I must say that I felt that none of them really have much substance. As well as this, the drawn out musical segments felt a lot like filler, and a lot of the time I found myself just wanting to skip to the next song.
Other than this, there are only two more tracks I didn't enjoy; "Spiders" sounded quite promising at first, but ultimately felt like a song that was built up in vain. And while I thought "My Pain" could've potentially have been a spiritual successor to "My Plague", what i ended up getting was something so blown out and shallow, that it might as well have been another interlude (a nearly 7 minute one of that).
Other than those little nit-picks, the album is truly brilliant! There were so many elements on this album which you could link to older albums. I was overjoyed to hear the abundance of disc scratching (courtesy of Sid Wilson) Corey Taylors fast-paced, almost rap-like vocals, and the audibility of the percussion. It was elements like these that would allow me to partially agree, that Slipknot are back to their old ways again.
There are indeed songs that have a hint of Iowa to them. But in my opinion, no song does this better than "Red Flag", the relentless intensity, the pounding percussion and Corey Taylor holding absolutely nothing back, it is my favourite of the newly presented tracks.
As for the other tracks I like on this album, "Nero Forte", "Critical Darling" and "Orphan" both present an angry and intense energy while also being incredibly catchy thanks to their melodies. On the flip side, "A Liar's Funeral" and "Not Long For This World" are both dark and beautiful numbers with truly heartfelt emotion pumped into each of them.
While this album may just fall ever-so-slightly short of the hype that surrounds it, I still regard We Are Not Your Kind as a fantastic return to form. The anger that put Slipknot on the map has been revived in a twisted, Frankenstein's monster fashion, allowing this album to truly stand on its own as a fascinating a unique addition to the already phenomenal discography of this amazing band.
Thank you for reading,
Booth Boy
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