Okay so bands change and evolve as they go on. If they didn't, you'd just get bored of hearing the same old stuff.
Slipknot's self titled debut was fantastic, and Iowa - less speed rapping, more suffocating growls and screams was an absolute gem of an album that will forever be one of my favourite albums.
Volume 3 was good; well written songs expertly performed ... but it just wasn't Slipknot.
By many standards this is a great album, but in the same way that Volume 3 was great. There is still something missing ... and the band have failed to retain that something special that catapulted them to stardom with their first 2 releases [Mate feed kill repeat excluded as Corey was not the lead singer at the time].
All hope is gone is a fantastic song, and shows why slipknot are regarded as highly as they are. Psychosocial is the radio friendly 'alternative' single, and it is again a good song, similar to vermilion off the last album. Great choruses make you want to sing along on sulfer and wherein lies continue, whilst snuff is just a gorgeous ballad. A lot of the songs however would be more at home on a new stone sour album.
Basically, this album is filled with soaring choruses, phenomenal percussion, crushing vocals and brilliantly performed guitar parts, which are essentially all that you should need to produce a good album ... which is what this is.
Unfortunately for me though, Slipknot don't have that same edge that attracted me to them in the first place.
Buy it, it's good, just don't expect to be hooked.