The Nu-Metal veterans, Slipknot, are at it again with their 7th studio release, “The End, So Far”. The new album marks the end of Slipknots tenure with prolific record label, Roadrunner Records. Slipknot first signed with Roadrunner in July of 1998 before initiating work on their debut self-titled album That would see its release mid-June of the following year. What came to follow over the next 20 years would display growth and development through trials and tribulations most would crumble while facing. Slipknot’s music grew more complicated, darker, and oddly, more radio friendly. It has all come down to this 7th album, this farewell to the Roadrunner era, this conclusion to the feeling of creative constriction the band faced with Roadrunner Records.
“The End, So Far” marks Slipknot’s final departure from the safety net Roadrunner provided them as a major label. Let us be abundantly clear and honest, Slipknot is Slipknot. They have their own road tour and have seen massive financial success over the span of their award-winning career. Taking the independent route is not going to throttle their movement forward in the slightest. While the future looks bright for the Knot, the current tells an interesting tale.
Slipknot’s last release, “We Are Not Your Kind,” highlighted the band’s incredible ability to thrive when faced with legal challenges and an ever-growing musical climate. During the writing and recording process for the album, Percussionist Chris Fehn filed a lawsuit against Slipknot that stated they were withholding his keep. The timing of the lawsuit and the smear campaign against Slipknot saw the only plausible conclusion, the departure of Chris Fehn. Slipknot were far too deep into the creative process to be derailed. You can feel the tension in the writing on the album post departure. This saw the introduction of a new masked percussionist known simply as, Tortilla Man. “We Are Not Your Kind” introduced a clearer picture of a Slipknot with heavy input from Michael Pfaff, Alessandro Venturella, and Jay Weinburg. The album would end up releasing to mixed yet positive reviews On August 5th of 2019.
“The End, So Far” feels like it captures a lot more creative council from the new members of Slipknot. More so vs their last release. While some of the new album seems like a sharp deterrent from the heavy sonic adventure, we are accustomed to when it comes to a Slipknot release, *cough Adderall cough*, there are some tracks on this album that truly hit home for longtime fans of the knot.
Tracks like Hive Mind, The Chapeltown Rag, and Warranty relentlessly plow your ear drums with blast beats, droning low tuned guitars focused on deadly coordinated trem picking patterns, a bright and shining Sid, and potentially the heaviest amount of baseball bat powered keg slaps I have ever heard. Other notable mentions like The Dying Song (Time to Sing) and Medicine for the Dead tickle that Slipknot fancy but reiterate the days of Iowa are long past. Slipknot have developed a sound focused on driving heaviness with musical evolution focused on melodic choruses that stick in your brain.
On the other hand, tracks like Adderall, Acidic, Finale, and De Sade all sound like they were originally written for other bands or potentially as jam tracks that were not supposed to become exposed. Each of them is unique and has their own saving graces. They just do not feel like Slipknot. These tracks are not going to leave a positive taste in the mouth of the maggots.
We must ask ourselves, is that necessarily a dreadful thing? Do we really need Slipknot to replicate the audible assault that was their self-titled album? Do we need Slipknot to re-harness the anger and relentlessness of Iowa or All Hope Is Gone? The reality is, Slipknot has been experimenting with new pathways with their music since Volume 3. They have written for their anger, their loss, their sadness. They have taken us on new adventures for the better part of twenty plus years whether heavy or not.
In conclusion, Slipknot’s “The End, So Far” is a farewell to the roadrunner records era that hosted 20 years of releases highlighting every single possible human emotion. None of the other albums have been this experimental. It is important to evolve as musicians and Slipknot are reaching that point. The album touches on the classic feel of the Knot but it is riddled with inspiration from Stone Sour and some of the other projects members have been involved in. While there is not anything wrong with that, I cannot help but feel Slipknot in its current state is a group of 9 incredibly talented musicians begging to step away to explore their creativity in new ways. Maybe “The End, So Far” is just that, the end, for now.
Have you had the chance to give the new album a listen? I am super stoked to hear your thoughts on the new album. Is this the right direction for Slipknot? Is it a step too far in the wrong direction?
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