all hope is gone

Usually bands lose their edge way before their 4th album. Hell, these days very few bands last long enough to even make a 4th album. Then there’s Slipknot. Say what you will about this band, but on this new album they are just as intense as they were in ’99. When they want to be. There are softer moments here that could be a sign of weakness if the band didn’t grow as musicians. And I’m willing to let those moments slide when songs like Gematria (The Killing Name) are pure catharsis. On a bit of a side note the band is at its most political on this record. Not that that really matters. Slipknot has always been about getting the poison out, not about deep lyrics. In the end the masks and jumpsuits don’t matter. What does is whether or not the band delivers. And they do. In spades