IN REVIEW: Slipknot - ".5: The Gray Chapter"

To say Slipknot has had a tumultuous career is a bit of an understatement; chided for the nu-metal leanings of their first two albums by some and bemoaned for the evolving songcraft on the two that followed by others (not to mention internal tensions that resulted in multiple hiatuses along the way), this band was in for a tough go of it coming into their fifth album (and first in six years) as it was. Throw in the tragic death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010 and the departure of former drummer Joey Jordison and it's a minor miracle that a fifth Slipknot album exists at all. And, in the face of such catastrophe and calamity, the immediate question going into .5: The Gray Chapter for many will be "should it exist?"

It is worth noting up front that, upon a cursory listen to the album, both Gray's and Jordison's losses are deeply felt. The replacement players know what they're doing, but couldn't possibly stand a chance of playing the same spiritual roles as their predecessors; knowingly, they aren't asked to do anything too complex, and as a result the rhythms feel a little lacking. It's no one's fault in particular, but it's clear listening to the album that something has most assuredly shifted within the group's core; the new members may gel given time and a good number of gigs, but on record they often come across as unremarkable or, worse, noticeably average.

This doesn't make The Gray Chapter a failure by any means, and the remaining members give their all to the performances; to wit, it is a very heavy record. If anything, the album might be a little too eager to play the heavy card; they clearly have heard enough lazy "just like Stone Sour" digs in recent years, and have seen fit to bring the metal early and often. There really isn't much let up over the course of the record, stopping for the occasional melodic chorus en route to more vitriol and F-bombs.

When the tempos do cool off, the album gets some much needed breathing room; the violent speed metal fits of AOV and Nomadic are offset by soaring, radio-ready choruses, while lead single The Devil In I is more than happy to infuse some formidable melodies into its wretched, guttural tones. Killpop starts out as a hater-baiting, sultry ballad before it eventually takes a turn for the abrasive. Album closer If Rain Is What You Want might be the album's most interesting song, a dark and brooding beast that gets a proper build-up in intensity to provide a proper payoff.

Throughout the album, there are tributes to Gray, from the obvious (as in the scream-mourning of the "crazy motherfucker" in Skeptic) to the more nuanced (as in the spacious, bombastic mid-album ballad Goodbye). The latter is a damn fine song for any genre, and if you can't take it as such because it doesn't fit your preconceived notion of what Slipknot is supposed to be, that's on you.

All told, though, I can't help but feel like The Gray Chapter finds Slipknot trying a little too hard to reestablish themselves as the shocking, super-heavy spectacle they were during nu-metal's peak, an attempt to evoke nostalgia that isn't going to be very effective or convincing except to those who are already invested. Though there is some modicum of variety on display, it doesn't offer much in the way of artistic growth, which is going to be just fine for a certain cross-section of their fan base and a little bit underwhelming for the rest of us.

October 21, 2014 • Roadrunner

Highlights The Devil In I • Goodbye • If Rain Is What You Want