Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter (2014)^{Release ID: 5215}

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray passed away in 2010. Drummer Joey Jordison was fired from the band 2013, and he also left the world in 2021. RIP... Taking the place of those two fallen members are two new guys who also mask up, Jay Weinberg (drums) and Alessandro "Vman" Venturella (bass).

Although I enjoy a bit nu/alt-metal, I'm never really in the Slipknot fan camp. This collective-like band that also consisted of vocalist Corey Taylor, percussionists Shawn "Clown" Crahan and Chris Fehn, guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson, and keyboardists Sid Wilson and Craig "133" Jones can still unleash great rage from their time of grief in .5: The Gray Chapter! It is a dark punishing experience balanced out with clean vocal melodies. They sure know how to put the old and the new in killer contrast.

Synth organ and xylophone add solemnness to the intro "XIX". Corey Taylor yells in his clean voice about being "too busy being called to disappear, I'm in no shape to be alone contrary to the s*** you might hear". That adds a bit of a vibe from his other band Stone Sour. The raging "Sarcastrophe" starts off with slow guitar and percussion before breaking down the walls with heaviness and speed. Killer riffing, growled vocals, and rapid-fire drumming add faster delivery. No disrespect to Joey Jordison, but it marks quite a step from his earlier precision that works well for that thrashy madhouse. "AOV" has much faster thrash, probably the most out of this band, especially in the neck-breaking intro. The growled verses work well together with the clean choruses. Slipknot is already showing their progressive evolution, as they slow down in the bridge and even add sing-along melody towards the end before the last of the brutal riff rhythm. A different addition to the band's journey! "The Devil in I" begins with a sludgy groove intro then quiets down for the verses of morose clean guitar and bass with Taylor's vocal sorrow. The chorus is heavier but modest. There's a massive breakdown leading into a quick bridge as fast as grindcore. Right from there is "Killpop" which Taylor's Stone Sour tendencies blended with the industrial of Nine Inch Nails. The chorus soars with crazed percussion, and the chaos rises until it makes an abrupt stop. Note that the song is the shortest full song at 3:45, but it could've been a bit longer so it wouldn't end abruptly like that.

A tribute to Paul Gray, "Skeptic" has satisfying thrash-groove riffing with a bit of Faith No More-esque experimentation. "Lech" starts with Taylor shouting "I know why Judas wept, motherf***ers!", another total ripper. There are scorching drum patterns ranging from slow brutality in the breakdowns to jackhammering thrash in the faster sections. The more draggy electronic-tinged "Goodbye" has Taylor's cleans in soft echo. Then the heavy rhythm grows into a terrific solo that makes things better, sounding like there might be a return to the thrash, but that doesn't happen in the song when the climax ends prematurely. "Nomadic", however, segues into the band's earlier charging blitz, also having some harmonic choruses. The thrashy solo blows you away like a hurricane. "The One That Kills the Least" is a killer track that leads into the one that kills the most...

The reckless "Custer" has a bit of spoken word before his scathing ranting over crushing speed as he chants, "CUT CUT CUT ME UP AND F*** F*** F*** ME UP!" When my brother was listening to the song this year when the song became a TikTok staple, that was my indirect invitation to listen to the album that included that thrashy highlight. Then there's the spooky interlude "Be Prepared for Hell". It then leads "The Negative One" filled with thrash-grind mayhem. Compelling finale "If Rain Is What You Want" is once again dedicated to Paul Gray, signifying the end of an era and a new beginning. There are a couple hidden tracks, but we'll skip them.

The Gray Chapter works appropriately as a tribute to Gray after Slipknot had all the time to mourn and grieve their fallen member. Anyone who's more likely to be a Slipknot fan than I will ever be can definitely get onboard. Just choose what you like and ignore the haters....

Favorites: "Sarcastrophe", "AOV", "Skeptic", "Lech", "Nomadic", "Custer", "The Negative One"