Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

While mostly inoffensive and sometimes even good, this album showcases an era where Slipknot dealt with some growing pains. It's in this weird space where they're stripping away a lot of what made them unique in favor of some really typical metal. This doesn't mean it's bad though, some songs definitely work. Psychosocial still manages to grab my attention every time, even with how overplayed it is. Gematria is another example of a song that works really well, and serves as a pretty brutal opening. Dead Memories, despite being a pretty tame radio song manages to be really catchy and engaging. It's the second half of the album that really draws things back and shows some of the awkwardness. Butcher's Hook just feels like a mess and I honestly don't know what they were thinking with that one. Snuff is Slipknot's most popular ballad, however I think it's one of their weakest, as I much prefer Vermillion pt. 2. This Cold Black and Wherein Lies Continue are just overall really forgettable. One thing I will say is I actually really enjoy Gehenna despite how weird and kinda unappealing it sounds. I'm always just somewhat entranced by the weird uneasy sway of the track throughout. When it comes to the overall picture, I think this is one of Corey's weakest vocal performances, and the production is just really flat for the most part. I just think this album is missing a lot of the character that makes Slipknot, Slipknot.