Slipknot - Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)
My Thoughts: (Reviewed
by K-Billy)
I’ve been a huge fan of this band for a while because I just absolutely love their crazy brand of metal. With their debut album they showed that they were a force to be reckoned with in the heavy music world with anthems such as Spit It Out, Wait and Bleed, and Surfacing. Their follow up “Iowa” proved to be even more extreme pushing the band into even heavier territory. And do I mean heavy, songs such as The Heretic Anthem and Everything Ends were absolutely ear shattering. So one found themselves wondering after a three year hiatus what could the band possibly come up with that would continue to be shocking. Could they possibly make anything heavier then their last record. What would they do….The answer is put out a record that shows the band branching out musically and maturing as artists. They somewhat painted themselves into a corner with their last record choosing to go entirely heavy but with this cd they’ve knocked the confines down around them. Slipknot have defenitely expanded their ideas about what defines them as a band. This is evident right from the start on the subdued opener Prelude 3.0” a track that sounds more like NIN then the previous two intros to Slipknot’s albums. Of course you have your standard blow to your head metal tracks like “The Blister Exists” and the awesomely put together Three Nul, not to mention the rocking beats of “Opium Of The People” that incur true headbanging moments. However it’s tracks like “Duality and “Vermillion Part I” that showcase Slipknot’s talents as writers of metal songs with hard rock elements including melody. Vermillion Part I is a perfect example with it’s mood shifting tone and excellent atmosphere. And to an even greater extreme there are a handful of acoustic tracks as well such as “Circle” and “Vermillion Part II” and with a lesser band perhaps these might have tainted the album and made Slipknot sell outs. However what keeps them from seemingly selling out is the fact that these acoustic tracks are unbelievably well written, musically, and lyrically.They are not pop music served up for the radio, the acoustics are deeply meaningful reflective songs that still harness the emotion of Slipknot while showcasing new styles. There happens to be only one track that I really wasn't thrilled with and that is "Pulse Of The Maggots" the song is pretty uninspired and the delivery sounds forced. However it's still not a bad song and doesn't take away much from the album in it's entirety. Simply put this cd turned out to be a major step forward for a band who seemingly had no where to go but exactly where they were. This is the most important metal band in the world today.
Key Tracks:
Three Nul
Opium Of The People
Circle
Vermillion Parts I and II
Virus Of Life
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