Reviews list for Slipknot - Iowa (2001)

The timing for me to review another Slipknot album couldn't have been better. A few days before this review, backstage at the final concert for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, Slipknot turntablist Sid Wilson became engaged with Ozzy's daughter Kelly. Congrats to them! Although this engagement might confuse some people, since they've already been dating since 2022 and have a son together.

I think just found my new favorite nu metal album. There are so amazing songs that sound as fresh as they did 24 years prior. These 9 members perform in great synergy, especially in the rhythm section, not just from Wilson but also two percussionists, as well as drummer Joey Jordison and bassist Paul Gray. RIP the latter two...

Intro "(515)" is confusing, just shouting the word "death" over and over. Then "People = Sh*t" blasts off in brutal heaviness. "Disasterpiece" is also good, sounding more thrashy. Though not as extreme as "My Plague" which would end up in the soundtrack of the Resident Evil film. Then everything continues to get heavier in "Everything Ends", which again speeds up at thrash-esque levels.

"The Heretic Anthem" is also good, sounding quite deathly for a nu metal song. However, the lyrics take a dip in quality. The refrain where Corey Taylor yells "If you're 555, then I'm 666" is just silly and doesn't make much of a lyrical impact. "Gently" is another track that's good but isn't really a highlight. It was re-recorded from their 1996 demo album Mate Feed Kill Repeat. "Left Behind" is one of my favorites here. It's a prime example of nu metal with a more rock-ish tone while unleashing their usual rage in everything. "The Shape" is in good shape. So is "I Am Hated" which I would never hate.

"Skin Ticket" is another track that I can probably do without. However, "New Abortion" is another solid standout. "Metabolic" isn't bad but doesn't offer anything special. Unlike one of the longest and most experimental tracks in alt-/nu metal, the 15-minute closing title epic. It is the band's longest track to not have a title track, and an incredible journey for those who are patient and never restless. The Japanese edition bonus track is a live rendition of the 1999 debut's "Liberate" which is OK but doesn't add much.

All in all, Iowa is an excellent nu metal offering that shows Slipknot at their best. If you're one of those people who hate nu metal to the bone, a lot of what this album has to offer would convince you that there's still goodness in the genre. Just pure in-your-face extreme nu metal!

Favorites: "People = Sh*t", "My Plague", "Everything Ends", "Left Behind", "I Am Hated", "New Abortion", "Iowa"

For a period I worked with a guy who put me onto Slipknot.  He was quite into nu-metal and was the only other metalhead at the place were I worked at the time.  Although I was never completely enamoured with much of the nu-metal scene that he talked to me about, I did develop a soft spot for Iowa during the early noughties.  Recently, I stumbled across the album again and found myself wondering if it rang true of having any appeal some twenty years after I first heard it.

It isn't bad per-se. However it is not something I find I can take entirely seriously, which might be the point (I am unsure exactly how seriously Slipknot take themselves).  Lyrically it is very juvenile and angsty, which makes absolute sense of course given the target audience and sub-genre of metal we are dealing with.  In terms of being on point lyrically you could probably award the album five stars based it on it reaching the interested demographic.

Musically it fairs better than I expected.  There's more than just nu-metal here with elements of death metal and groove metal making their presence felt throughout the abum.  The hi-octane delivery suits the variety of the influences well and maintains a real sense of energy and momentum throughout the record.  The riffs are infectious and groovy and do get my old assed head bobbing along on more than one occasion.  I am not a fan of clean vocals alongside guttural growls or more throaty rasps like we have throughout the record though and for the majority of the record the vocals act as a distraction unfortunately from the parts of the music I enjoy.

I won't be revisiting this again I suspect but I think that is more a me thing as opposed to anything the band did wrong on the release.  I might not be in love with it but there are a few things on here that do grab my attention and deserve recognition and acknowledgement even if the whole package doesn't entirely float my boat.