With their new release, ‘We Are Not Your Kind,’ Slipknot have joined the three in a row club. Meaning they’ve had three number one albums in a row. It’s also their fifth album in a row to crack the top three. Which is very impressive for a metal band of their nature. It’s not exactly melodic heavy metal. They tread on the heaviness of the 90’s greats: Pantera, Sepultura and Prong. The band’s self titled debut was released in 1999 after all. But I feel like Slipknot gets wrongfully put into the Nu Metal genre.
Since their debut Slipknot have have managed to stay on top for the past 20 years. And it’s been great for the heavy music community. . The community needs all the success it can get. The last time a heavy record went number one was the most recent Foo Fighters album in 2017. That’s not exactly great for a genre that once completely dominated the charts. And over time, metal heads have started to feel marginalized in pop culture. With rap now dominating the radio stations and charts. It’s really almost all you hear now.
That makes the success of the new Slipknot album even more significant. Now, it is important to note that Slipknot are excellent at marketing. They’ve adapted to modern changes in the music industry that have made their music easy to access. One of the marketing tools they’re using this time around is a download + ticket package that gets buyers into the remaining ‘Knotfest’ tour dates. But they also have the song quality to match their marketing skills. The new album is proof of that. Through all the line-up changes, the band still has a crazy huge following. Even without veteran, legendary drummer Joey Jordinson they still triumph. I would say it’s because they write catchy ass heavy metal that appeals to old school and heavier new school metal fans.
There’s such strong material throughout the album: ‘Unsainted’ hits the metal sweet spot. Smartly combining melodic and distorted vocals. ‘Critical Darling’ is a roundhouse pounder. A true circle pit starter. But also holding a catchy chorus that the audience can sing along with. ‘Red Flag’ is reminiscent of Slipknots earlier years. ‘Spiders’ is a strong, modern heavy rock ballad. I don’t want to get to in depth of the new album because this isn’t a review of it. But, the point is that Slipknot are flying the heavy metal flag. They’re kicking ass a taking names. And that should be celebrated.
