Good evening.

This time around I'm doing something different which I will be doing for all album reviews. I'm adding the album cover because I feel it gives the blog a more "bloggy" feel.

So without further ado...

I said that I'm doing something Numetal this time around and I'm sticking to it. This is also an album and genre I am way more familiar with.

Slipknot by Slipknot is an album I was very surprised by when I first started listening to Numetal. Before I was a fan of Numetal, I was big into Powermetal and this sound was very different to what I was used to.

This album is very, very good. The direction in the music can be heard straight away from the introductory track. 742617000027 tells you what you're in for, that being the art of a presumably sick mind. The distortion of the sampled interview, mixed with the fairly creepy track underneath gives a fitting introduction for what's to come. The progression of the songs afterward comes very naturally giving the whole project a good sense of direction. It all feels very well planned out with the whole album having a very clear artistic vision. The tracks themselves feel sick and twisted, the emotion being placed into the album feels incredibly genuine which is likely in no small part due to the band members' rough upbringings. One thing I can say about Slipknot in general is that they have always had a very clear artistic vision which I value immensely.

The songs on the album feel incredibly polished for a first release and very few tracks on the album truly fall flat. For a 14 track (plus into) album it never feels like a chore to listen to, and every step of the way feels like a journey into another chapter in a horror series of sorts. I really can't stress enough Sid Wilsons role in perpetuating the creepy sounds with his sampling on the tracks. It feels incredibly innovative and something metal hadn't really seen up to that point apart from the likes of Limp Bizkit (topic of a future album review I hope). The extra percussion also gives the album another dimension of ambient sound. Pairing that with the uncomfortably powerful guitar riffs and Corey Taylor's raw and emotional vocals, it's not hard to call this album an instant classic. The lyrics on the album aren't really as strong as the lyrics on some of Slipknot's future releases, but nevertheless they never fail to be enjoyable even if they are sometimes uncomfortable to listen to, but in the good way. 

Overall, the whole album was a very enjoyable listen. I don't see much that needs improvement and I genuinely think it might be one of the best debut albums I've ever listened to. There isn't much else to say because I really don't have much critique for this album. I give it a incredibly solid 9.6/10.

The best song on Slipknot's self titled album in my opinion is "Surfacing" with a definite 10/10. The whole track encompasses what I love about this album. It's a uneasy track with uneasy lyrics and a LOT of screams! Easily one of my favorite Numetal tracks in general!

The weakest song on the album in turn would have to be "Tattered and torn" with a rating of 6/10. I just don't feel this song. When I listen to it, every time I feel like something is missing. I feel like the direction on this one was lost with the late inclusion of lyrics on the song and would have preferred either the whole song be instrumental (which is something I think is missing on the album) or the whole song having lyrics. Overall, not a bad track, but could have been better.