Album Review: Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter

“I’ve got my demons – go get your own.” Six years, one member dead, another shockingly given his marching orders and here we are. That’s the condensed version of the chaos the masked metal juggernaut experienced en route to completing The Gray Chapter.

The subsequent outpouring is, to reference Slipknot themselves, somewhere between screaming and crying. Late bassist/songwriter Paul Gray’s memory is understandably ubiquitous; in opener, XIX’s soundscapes, uneasy viola and mournful delivery, or the lyrics of thrash–inflected Skeptic and sombre Goodbye.

Those who’ve bleated about the ‘Knot increasingly recalling side project Stone Sour will feel further aggrieved. The One That Kills The Least taps into a similarly mid–tempo melodic vibe to 2004’s Vol.3. Still readily identifiable as them despite personnel shifts, the nonet nudge their sound just enough into new territory to feel fresh (closer, If Rain Is What You Want, Killpop’s keyboards and off–kilter percussion). The trademark cacophony remains, albeit tempered by overly pristine production. AOV bristles with fury, while a somewhat by–the–numbers, but memorable The Negative One is distinctively pulsating aggression. Custer’s stomp is somewhat reminiscent of their origins, although the tailormade-for-live interaction catch–cry seems too contrived.

Whereas alternative sources inspired initial misanthropy, nowadays tragedy and other assorted tensions fuel Slipknot’s bipolar expression and twisted atmospherics. There have been more impressive metal records released during 2014 that won’t garner a modicum of the attention, but .5… indicates this new era sans Gray and Joey Jordison could yield substantial dividends.