At long last, nu-metal icons Slipknot have released their sixth studio album, We Are Not Your Kind. The follow-up to 2014’s .5: The Gray Chapter, this album has been perhaps the most anticipated 2019 release in the world of rock and metal. For this reason, Corey Taylor and company had a lot of hype to live up to, on top of already having a monumental catalogue of previous works to live up to. So with the bar this high, does We Are Not Your Kind hold up?
Well in short, yes. See, if I had to describe Slipknot’s discography thus far in one word, it would be “consistent.” While the quality has been anywhere from a top-to-bottom masterpiece such as Iowa,to a mixed bag like All Hope Is Gone, sonically and lyrically, you always know what to expect from Slipknot. And We Are Not Your Kind checks all the boxes. Dark, existential lyrics? Check. Aggressive, rapid-fire drumming? Check. Keyboard and turntable integration? Present and accounted for. Slipknot have found a formula that works for them, and stuck to it. And yet, each of their albums to this point have stood on their own in one way or another. Hell, even All Hope Is Gone is recognizable for its blandness, by comparison to the others. So let’s take a look at what We Are Not Your Kind has going for it.
Lead singer Corey Taylor has stated that We Are Not Your Kind would contain the band’s most experimental work to date. And while Slipknot has never been a band to shy away from integrating elements not typical to rock and metal music, this album brings these elements to the forefront in a major way. Throughout the record, we are treated to extended beginnings and endings, as well as short interludes, making it flow almost like a 1970s Pink Floyd album. During these instrumental passages, we hear elements such as haunting John Carpenter-like synth lines, dissonant bells, and soft, ambient guitar work from Mick Thomson and Jim Root, a duo not necessarily known for this type of playing. In soft, yet impactful tracks, these elements play the lead role.“My Pain”is filled with eerie, reverberated bell tones, contrasted against Taylor’s soft singing, adding to the dramatic build as the song grows heavier. “Spiders”opens with a creepy, single-hand piano lick that carries through much of the song. However, these songs are balanced out by tracks such as “Unsainted,” “Nero Forte,” and “Orphan,” fast aggressive hard-hitters, written and performed in classic Slipknot fashion. All of these styles are integrated into the closing track “Solway Firth,” which serves as a perfect bookend for everything that has preceded it on the record. Admittedly, I wasn’t crazy about this song when it was released as a single, but hearing it in the context of this album as a whole gave me a new appreciation for it.
Slipknot’s albums have always been performed and produced in a way that brings the listener into the band’s unique sonic world. However, this album utilizes stereo mixing to its fullest potential, to surround the listener with various drums and percussion, aggressive guitar, ambient tones, and unsettling sound effects, in a way that effectively amplifies the atmosphere of this record. No element is hiding in this mix, and all the strange quirks that make Slipknot what they are sit right out on display (Can we petition Slipknot to release a 5.1 surround mix of this album?). Even though I’ve never been overly fond of nu-metal, I’ve always felt that Slipknot utilizes elements such as synths and turntables tastefully, even brilliantly, when compared to their contemporaries (take notes, Korn). On this album, these elements take on a role as important as the guitars or drums, and it pays off.
Lyrically, this album is as dark and gritty as you might expect from a Slipknot album. Tracks such as “My Pain” and “Not Long for This World” deal with Taylor’s own struggles with self harm and mental health issues. “Unsainted” and “Birth of the Cruel” display Taylor’s social awareness through the lens of religious imagery. It is often difficult to tell whether Taylor is singing about inner demons or literal oppressors, but songs like “Red Flag” could very well be about both. The theme of liars and distrust for those who have stabbed you in the back is a topic that shows up in “A Liar’s Funeral” and “Solway Firth.” In “Orphan,” a repetitive shout of “Everyone has something; someone here has everything!” is enough to shake any listener to their core. All of the lyrics on this record are purposeful and impactful, with the exception of the song “Death Because of Death,” whose lyrics consist entirely of the line “Death because of, death because of you” being repeated. This is forgivable, however, as this track is only a minute and twenty seconds long, and serves more as a transition piece than an actual song.
When discussing the latest entry in Slipknot’s discography, guitarist Jim Root criticized the modern music industry for being focused more on creating hit singles than smart, coherent full albums. As a guy who talks your ear off about albums as a hobby, I couldn’t agree more. Root stated that with We Are Not Your Kind, Slipknot intended to create a full-album experience, rather than simply a collection of songs. While I feel that Slipknot has always achieved this, they have never done so more effectively than on We Are Not Your Kind. Lyrically, these songs make sense together. The instrumental performances and production choices suit the lyrical themes and create a naturally flowing, and absolutely mesmerizing experience. In terms of album construction, this is perhaps Slipknot’s most accomplished release yet, and as far as overall quality is concerned, this is easily the band’s strongest album since 2001’s Iowa. Don’t miss We Are Not Your Kind.
Score: 9/10
Favorite Song(s): My Pain, Solway Firth, Spiders, Nero Forte, Orphan
Least Favorite Song(s): Death Because of Death
Phil Klinker Music Reviews 