Loading ...Vocalist Corey Taylor mentioned in Slipknot’s single “Duality” the he’d say what he had to and then he’ll go away, and (thankfully) he hasn’t said everything yet - he’s still here. Though several band members separated since the last album, the Subliminal Verses, to do side projects, including Jim Root and Corey Taylor’s commercial success with Stone Sour, they came back strongly and with full force during All Hope Is Gone that says that, despite somewhat lacking reviews from critics and fanbase about The Subliminal Verses, not all hope is gone yet for Slipknot’s sound. Like the albums before it, Slipknot begins with an eerie intro track, though the tailend of .execute. provides a showcase for drummer Joey Jordison to get things started into the new album. The track feeds into the powerful but long Gematria, which will definitely leave the Slipknot fan wanting more.
1. .execute.
2. Gematria (The Killing Name) - A powerful song that helps to kick off an album that says Slipknot is not done just yet.
3. Sulfur - A good song that, sadly, is sandwiched between two fantastic songs, so unless it’s listened to individually it may seem too nu-metal or a just above average Slipknot song, but it is a great listen with great clean vocals.
4. Psychosocial - One of Slipknot’s newest singles and, hands down, the best song on the album. Corey Taylor provides an overflow of “kick in the groin” emotion that charges the song fully forward into the incredibly smooth clean chorus. For any other band, it could be an instant staple to any repitoire and stage performance. At Mayhem Festival, when played at the peak of Slipknot’s performance, it did not disappoint and sounded more incredible live than as a master track.
5. Dead Memories - The future single that (shockingly) is a power ballad from Slipknot. Featuring entirely clean vocals, it serves to let your heart slow down and prevent it from exploding after the first three songs.
6. Vendetta - Vendetta uses mostly clean vocals and is reminiscient of some of the slightly harder work of Stone Sour, but melodic in its own right and a step back up from Dead Memories, easing the transition back into metal.
7. Butcher’s Hook - A slowed down metal song that gets back to Slipknot’s “sound”, but is ultimately one of the more forgettable tracks.
8. Gehenna - Showing more of old Slipknot, Gehenna seems like “Gently” in its eerieness when it is slow, but fades into clean vocals in the latter half of the lengthy (near 7 minute) track.
9. This Cold Black - The heaviest song on the album and yet still technical. Enough said.
10. Wherein Lies Continue - Taylor’s vocals are powerful and outright, but as a whole the track seems to lack any sort of punch at the beginning of the song but makes up for it when backup vocalists contribute to Taylor’s powerful emotion.
11. Snuff - You might not be sure this is Slipknot, but it seems that is who is credited with the writing of this song. It makes Dead Memories seem in your face and, on the surface, does not seem like Slipknot - but what is Slipknot? In the various ways and sounds of getting in your face, that is what Slipknot tries to do - and Snuff speaks volumes on a different level than any other song produced by Slipknot, or for that matter most other bands. May not be a great “Slipknot” track to fans, but it is a great song in its own right, packed with enough emotion and feeling for an entire album.
12. All Hope Is Gone - The title track seems like a large amount of unmelodic loud noises all crashing together into one twisted metal track, and somehow, like usual, Slipknot always seems to make it work. Short of the bonus tracks, All Hope Is Gone sends Slipknot out on a heavy, thrashing note that fans hope to carry over into (hopefully) yet another album.
8.5/10