Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

by Steve Rose

After a five year break, Slipknot has returned with We Are Not Your Kind, their most cohesive and realized album to date. This album is an all-out assault as it sonically pummels you while each track continues to exceed any expectations. This is not like any of their other albums, but it does draw on elements from every previous album to create this masterpiece. Musically, the album goes in many directions, some will be unexpected - especially to many longtime fans. In this, the reward is its risk: there are more melodic passages, more ambient expressiveness, and more exploration. Some standout tracks include: Unsainted, Nero Forte, A Liar’s Funeral, Spiders, and Orphan. Unsainted, the band’s first single from this album, is as crushing as you’d expect from Slipknot, but also includes a great choral passage that previews the unexpected turns this band will deliver throughout this album. Nero Forte is great because there’s a solid, rhythmic groove that you’ll be bobbing along to and there’s a cool Soulfly vibe to it. A Liar’s Funeral is an emotional, painfully raw song. With lyrics like “I did it all wrong so I’d get it all right, we’re wasting all the candles - the dead need no light,” Corey Taylor is really leaving it all out there with this performance. Spiders is the most unique track on the album. It is very Bowie-esque, especially the Mike Garson styled piano that flows throughout the song, with some really catchy lyrics. Orphan delivers a bit of nostalgia for those looking for that Iowa feel. The main groove of this song is reminiscent of The Heretic Anthem to serve as a reminder of where this band has come from and the new path that they are carving for themselves.

There is no question that this album is different than all that have come before. It is still aggressive, but it is also synth-y, yet it has those downtuned cruchy guitars and frenetic pace that you’d expect, with lyrics that are filled with pain and with life. The sequencing of this album was also fantastic. As you’re taking this journey there are calculated musical segues that provide a brief respite before delving back into the madness. We Are Not Your Kind is an example of the direction that this band has the ability to take, while still holding onto it’s roots as it continues to cultivate sonic chaos.