Best Tracks: Unsainted, Nero Forte, Red Flag, Orphan
FFO: Korn, System Of A Down, Stone Sour
When chiseling out the Mt.
Rushmore of metal bands, no group in the 21st Century can be
considered more of a candidate than Iowa legends Slipknot. Perhaps the biggest truly heavy band on the planet right now, the nine-person wrecking crew continue to sell out arenas worldwide on the release of their sixth studio album.
We Are Not Your Kind is Slipknot’s best record in 15
years. It’s unique and original, it’s huge and accessible, and it’s still heavy
as fuck. Where their previous effort, .5: The Gray Chapter, failed to deliver in terms of creativity and memorable moments, WANYK makes up for it in spades. It's a reminder of what made the band such a valuable commodity early in their career, but doesn't feel like they're trying to hark back to that earlier material in a cynical manner - this is a more mature piece of work, and a reflection on all that Corey Taylor and co. have learned in their time as a band.
Still, there are moments on this album that can hold up to some of Slipknot's most iconic work. With the album’s lead single (and first track proper), ‘Unsainted’, the band have crafted a chorus
destined to go down in history alongside ‘Psychosocial’,
‘Wait and Bleed’, and ‘Duality’. There’s a good helping of sure-fire
future setlist staples to go alongside it: the aforementioned ‘Nero Forte’; full-on, mosh-ready ragers ‘Orphan’ and ‘Red Flag’; even album closer ‘Solway Firth’, with its
oddly-enunciated intro. Corey sounds absolutely incredible across the board for a man who has been shredding his throat for so many years, and the instrumentation around him is just as furious as it always has been - from Mick Thomson and Jim Root's iconic guitarwork to Jay Weinberg's ever-insane drumming.
As always with Slipknot, though, there are a few more experimental tracks in amongst the gems which don’t work quite as well as the rest of the record. 'Spiders', despite its weirdly catchy refrain, features a number of questionable decisions in an apparent attempt to break up the intensity of the track listing. The same can be said for 'My Pain', a pretty dull, simplistic cut backed by electronic instrumentation and showcasing the worst of Taylor's vocals. Two out of three of the interludes peppered through the record also feel a little useless; the only one which serves a purpose is the album opener, 'Insert Coin' (and even that could be removed with minimal impact). Still, these hiccups are few and far between for the most part.
As always with Slipknot, though, there are a few more experimental tracks in amongst the gems which don’t work quite as well as the rest of the record. 'Spiders', despite its weirdly catchy refrain, features a number of questionable decisions in an apparent attempt to break up the intensity of the track listing. The same can be said for 'My Pain', a pretty dull, simplistic cut backed by electronic instrumentation and showcasing the worst of Taylor's vocals. Two out of three of the interludes peppered through the record also feel a little useless; the only one which serves a purpose is the album opener, 'Insert Coin' (and even that could be removed with minimal impact). Still, these hiccups are few and far between for the most part.
Although this album might not feel as wholly unstoppable as the band’s first few records, We Are Not Your Kind is still an
outstanding success for Slipknot. Whether it’s viewed from a commercial or creative standpoint, this album is proof that an arena-level band 24 years into their career can still feel current, original, and often legitimately exciting.
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