What happens when you take every aspect of heavy music and multiply it by one hundred? You come somewhat near the intensity of the debut album from Des Moines, Iowa’s Slipknot. Produced by metal guru Ross Robinson (Korn, Soulfly, Limp Bizkit, Machine Head), Slipknot’s first major label release is possibly the heaviest album of 1999. Many acts can blend various genres and sound great, but Slipknot has taken that idea to the next level by cross-breeding every style that has graced heavy metal in the last fifteen years and making it their own unique brand. There are a few obvious influences. Try Slayer, Fear Factory, Korn, and Sepultura, to name a few. It’s a bludgeoning, ear-splitting wave of chaos that brings heaviness to yet another platform of solitary insanity.
The opening loop has the phrase “The whole thing I think is sick” repeated until “(Sic)” rails out the onslaught of brutality that remains constant for the next sixty minutes. Lyrically, Slipknot has a powerful message, one that reflects the fury and anger that this nine-piece is bent on. It makes perfect sense that Slipknot’s sound has been labeled ultra-violent; one go-round with the album and the reasons are clear. With lyrics like “You can’t kill me/ I’m already inside you” and “Fuck it all, fuck this world/ fuck everything that you stand for/ don’t belong, don’t exist/ don’t give a shit/ don’t ever judge me!,” the members of Slipknot are true to themselves. They don’t care what you think, say, or do; they’re going to tear your face off if you give them the chance to.
“Spit it Out” and “Purity” have relentless, grooving beats that present a band that can attack in any way, and do so with unparalleled precision. Their dual percussionists, along with a blessed drummer, bring a tribal romp to the forefront on many of the tracks, which will undoubtedly keep the crowd moving in a live setting. The mayhem is confined, yet crazed, keeping within the narrow realm that lies between sheer terror and weak repetition. They know exactly where to blast you and when to crush you. If you dig that sort of sickness, Slipknot may just attract you.
Whether you like heavy music or not, you have to respect its longevity. Media has forever shunned anything that’s heavy, and has cast it off as a weak trend. Well, many acts come and go, but Slipknot has forged a path that could be traveled for quite some time. They are inspired by the twisted world around us, and feed on the negativity that is constantly in us. Their strengths lie in the nine members of the band, and at that core is the truth behind this harsh, unforgiving world. They know what is going on, and they don’t like it. Maybe we should look a little deeper ourselves. Maybe we’ll realize what they’re saying is real.
+ rick hinkson
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