Album review: Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone

New album, new masks and a new sound. Elements of this album are very different to what Slipknot have churned out in the past though most of it still has that something that has always made Slipknot stand out in the metal scene.

The masked menaces of metal have clearly tried to do something different with All Hope Is Gone, and to me this album feels like Slipknot maturing their sound and taking control, harnessing their power, and as appose to hitting us with a full on metal assault which is what we are used to, we get a more controlled and defined punches of power, which I found and believe gives Slipknot’s new material an extra impact not only on the heavy side but on an emotional level to.

This album does not just offer the kind of music you can kick the crap out of your mate to either, there is also a melodic side to this album, though it is very dark as to be expected. I also noticed Corey Taylor (lead singer) used his voice in a more melodic way in this album which worked surprisingly well, as Corey Taylor does have an amazing singing voice. Apparently some of Stone Sour’s style has been bought into this album, but having not heard much of Stone Sour’s material I cannot judge on this. All I can say is I feel Slipknot will always have something that sets them apart from other bands no matter what they do.

It’s easy to say this is Slipknot’s most experimental album ever, and the experiment was a success! Slipknot are still outstanding even when they try a whole new range of sounds. They even used acoustic guitars in this album, and I thought that was awesome. For any Slipknot fan who is now sitting reading this feeling rather down because they want the old ‘rip your face off’ Slipknot back, fear not! This album has something for you guys to. That’s right, some of the songs on this album are still the good old Slipknot we have always known and loved, so even if your not a fan of the new Slipknot sound, at least this album still has something for you to go mental to. You guys should look to songs like The Cold Black and All Hope Is Gone.

Now, songs to note on this album. Lets start with the obvious, the single, Psychosocial. Hearing this song before the album was released made me realise Slipknot really did have something incredible on the way. This is such a powerful song and a lyrical masterpiece, and to top it off catchy as well. A brilliant single for a brilliant album.

Another song that I thought was outstanding was Snuff. Using an acoustic guitar, dark lyrics brilliantly sung by Corey Taylor make this an outstanding and powerful song. The amount of emotion put into this song is evident in the way it makes you feel when you listen to it. When you feel the words going through you carried later in the song by a strong beat that leaves you in a slight state of shock. I love this song for so many different reasons, mainly the lyrics, the power and the emotion.

Verdict: Experimental, powerful, emotional. In some respects maybe Slipknot’s heaviest album yet. I can honestly say there isn’t a bad song on this album and I’m not afraid to say I think this is Slipknots best album to date. If Slipknot scared your parents before, wait until they hear this outstanding album, All Hope Is Gone.
Nick