Slipknot

Blech. Mall metal. The soundtrack to "It's not a phase, mom!" I'd give it less than 1 star if I could.

For so long I never gave this band a chance. Just look at these guys... how can anyone take this shit seriously? Did they meet in hot topic? Yet, I love the Misfits, which makes me a total hypocrite because they're just as silly. Anyway, as a metal fan, it was inevitable that a few of their songs would work their way into my algorithm and boy do they have some nasty riffs. They definitely went from slipknot-for-me to slipknot-bad.

I have never heard something worse in my life. This was the most horrible “music” I’ve ever heard.

These goddamn clowns? (heh heh) OK for real: holy fuck *AND* hell no to this preadolescent dogshit. This almost makes Limp Bizkit listenable. DNF 0/10 0 stars if possible

2.1 1x not much interest to listen to this again. just a bunch of noise, and technically it's decent, not too interested to listen again. (10th anniversary 1h 18m album) catch up 5/27/25

How is this already 26 years old? That must be fake news! I'm not THAT old!

I wanted to like this, but just don’t. Another one that isn’t quite 1 star but isn’t too far from it. It’s a shame as Corey Taylor has a great voice, but it’s completely wasted with Slipknot.

some good memories of download festival listening to this CD in the car on the way to get more beer from Castle Donington Morrisons to immedately get stopped by police to breath check Frank who magically registered a 0 reading

In your face kind of metal! Love the instrumentation, not a fan of the vocal or production.

The metal snobs hated them because of the gimmicky masks. It's a great way to open doors. The music is good enough to keep them open. They were a nu-metal band at the time, but definitely on the heavy end of the range. If you expect something like Linkin Park or Limp Bizkit, that's not it. It has more in common with serious heavy bands like Fear Factory, Pantera and Sepultura with some other influences thrown in the mix and a DJ. I like their newer records better. Favorite song: wait and bleed.

I had a phase in college when I got pretty into Slipknot, now i will usually skip anything that comes up on shuffle except for this album. I forgot how stacked the first half of this album is Sic, Eyeless, Wait and Bleed, and Surfacing are all great. The reason I still like this album over the other Slipknot albums is the groove. This album has a really fast chaotic energy with great sampling and grooves that never relents. Low 5.

Too much

Not my thing. This was very difficult for me to make it through.

Veel te hard en agressief voor mijn doen

op zich niet slecht... maar wel allemaal onderling inwisselbaar...ook beetje het gevoel of je naar Limp Bizkit luistert...

Love the energy, but I still don't like the genre too much. Very high 3, but not quite a 4 for me

i only made it through thr first 3 songs but it was pretty good. very original for the time.

These guys have zero touch. Maybe they intend it to be that way. I’m not impressed by it, but maybe some people like drinking out of the fire hose.

I appreciate Slipknot. I've seen them live a few times and they put on a great show - energetic and entertaining. With that said they do not make the type of music I enjoy, and listening to this whole album was a drag. The only song I would listen to again was Wait and Bleed. 3/10

I never really got into Slipknot, despite loving a lot of similar music back in the day. "Wait and Bleed" is the first song I recognized, and I don't dislike it. 'I felt the air rise up in me' is a line people would say a lot. I don't have too much to say. I didn't really like the album. It's metal in a way that I don't really like. A lot of it is angry noises that aren't meant to be fun to listen to, just loud. 3/10

Welcome to, “Will I Every Achieve Anything in Life,” the one question game where we determine, will you ever achieve anything in life. Here’s your question: Did you enjoy this record, and would you like to hear more from this band? If you answered “yes,” you will never achieve anything in life! Now please restock the candy aisle.

A typical example of nu metal, with all of the distinctive attributes of the genre. Is nu metal the peak of musicality and metal as a whole? Objectively, no. Is it one of the steps in it inevitable evolution? Yes. This album leans more towards commercial genres and isn't really that heavy or extreme. You can find better examples of the genre, some bands do the angry teen routine better than others. The album tries to be aggressive, but doesn't accomplish that fully, instead coming of as badly produced and sloppy at times. Lyrics are typical of the genre - angry, juvenile and about hating everybody. The highlights for me are the drums for sure, alongside occasional great riffs. Would give it 2.5 if I could.

I know some people enjoy this type of metal, but I don't get it, and it's hard for me to judge accurately

No

Absolutely not for me!!!!

I used to consider myself a low-key fan of Slipknot, but now I'm not so sure anymore. Feels like I probably was more of a normie all along. While I dig their sound and think they are quite unique as a band, I had a hard time enjoying most of this record. I like all of their more "mainstream" hits like 'Duality', 'Before I forget' and so on. But an album of, for me, less known and never heard of songs, proves to be a quite bigger challenge to digest. The issue for me generally is that I think it lacks hooks that are easy to tap into. Granted, the genre is not my home turf at all, but I just feel like the songs just gets too noisy and crowded. I am a bit disappointed with my reaction to this, but in the end I can't deny that I don't really see the beauty of the album. Going to have to be a 2, as I can't see myself going back to this really.

Look, I like metal as much as the next person, but I really do not like nu-metal. It's the rap and the record scratching that just does not work. Slipknot have some melodic hits like “Before I Forget” which actually are really good but none of those songs are on this album. Instead I was “treated” to shitty nu-metal. Just a bunch of angsty lyrics, shitty scratching and subpar lyrics. The drums were quite cool though and the only good thing I have to say about this record. This did nothing to change my mind about nu-metal and only worsened my image of Slipknot. No best songs, just waited for it to end. 1 star.

ooof. man i tried with this. some redeeming things early on but wow did it fall off at the end. speaking of the end this was waaaaaay too long. try as i might i am just not a nu metal guy. this was a 1.5 for me. i will round up because i just had a coffee so i am feeling generous.

Perfect heavy noise! I like it.

best thing about them is their iowa heritage

One of the worst things ever to come out of Iowa

Listened to the first song. I could probably listen to the instrumental track but the vocals are atrocious

Love it :)

Well, this is the 3rd one that has beaten me. Of the 343 albums I have rated, there was a jazz one, that 2hr epic and now this, that I just couldn't bear to listen to all of it. To me it has no musical worth what so ever. But then that has ever been my opinion of thrash. Though Sepultura did make a good job of it. No, to be honest I cannot find a reason for it's inclusion here except to pretend to be all inclusive. But then so far there have been many omissions so far, but I have a long way to go. And a little part of me still lives in hope that a complete genre that is conspicuous for its absence may yet appear, namely NWOBHM. (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal). Anyway, back to the tripe at hand. 1 because three is nothing lower. -5 if I could.

“The album spans several genres” it says on the Album summary. I must have missed that.

It's nothing new, it's not big , it's not clever. Brain dead rubbish for brain dead people.

Lots of shouting. now I have a headache

Gateway metal for every ten year old angry nerd. Genuinely fun. You know what? I'm rocking. Give this one a five.

It’s irresponsible of the studio technicians to sit idly by while someone’s clearly having some sort of medical emergency not five feet away.

Not my scene

3.5

I knew a few Slipknot songs from the MTV nu-metal days and know that they're a 9-person band from Iowa so I was curious to hear this one. There is some impressive instrumentation on here (the drums are really good for example) but the lyrics are indecipherable, the production is bad, and like most 90s albums it runs too long. Not for me unfortunately but I'm not gonna yuck anyone's yum if this is their jam.

Love the music. Can't listen for even a second to the vocal.

Slipknot! ‘Fraid not!

I would have liked this a lot more in my younger years. It's too angry to fit my current preferences. I'd been married for three years and was advancing in my career when this album was released, so it was completely off my radar. I don't hate it but would only listen to it if my kids happen to cue it up. There are definately some fun ideas here, but again I'm not that angry about anything at this point in my life to get any enjoyment from it.

Wow. Another band I've always sat on the sidelines with. I guess I need to stop qualifying that this music is "more aggressive than my normal go-to," because this is killer. Riffs that just don't stop, drums are ferocious and tight, and the group's image is as theatrical as it is frightening. I was going to go with a 4, but I can't find anything to criticize. I mean, yeah, the vocals border on carnival freak, but they're mixed just right, not too high in the mix, so they blend in as another instrument, which serves them and the songs. And while I can't decipher every lyric, I'm pretty sure I get what he's on about.

Honestly? I thought this was pretty great. Lots of great sounds and textures and they have enough melodic bits to keep me engaged. It's got great punk attitude. Also, that drummer is a beast.

why?

I like a few slipknot songs but I had never heard this album. It was too long poorly produced and mixed. If I was an angry 14 year old I would probably like it a lot more. It had great potential but didn’t climb above mediocre

Really did not like Slipknot's other album on this list, but I actually kind of enjoyed this? For early era nu metal, it's pretty good. Granted there is a lot more screaming than I really care for, and a lot of the songs did start to sound the same after awhile. My main gripe with Slipknot is that their lead singer has a really great voice when he actually sings, so I'm always wanting more of that in the end. This album is a 2.5 for me, but I honestly have to round up because giving it just 2 stars seems too low.

Didn't like it then. Don't like it now. Its close, but so many things I don't like in Slipknots music.

lost my glasses while i was listening to this one 👎👎

I didn't listen to this and I'm still giving it one star

Silly and stupid and cartoony, but also ridiculously tight and musically proficient. Like a well-made horror film.

My #1 album ever. Fav track: No Life

Complete

I appreciate the music but have never really been onboard with the screaming type of singing. That keeps it at a 3 for me.

There’s been a few albums lately that make me wish this site had a half star system so I can be more accurate with how I rate the albums. This is one that is a strong 7 / light 8 because I did feel ready to be done near the end of the album but maybe that’s because I enjoy mixing metal songs into my playlist more than I enjoy listening to it for an hour straight.

love the percussion but find it hard to stay with the relentless production heaviness. melodies peek through more regularly than i expect tho making it a treasure hunt.

Hate that cover. 1.5.

This really brings me back to high school. This album was revolutionary and introduced folks my age to whole new genres of music. I wish the mixing was better. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Yo slipknot is on this? That’s crazy lol. I got a weird relationship with numetal, bit of a guilty pleasure for me— freak on a leash is an all timer. Album cover is kinda stupid, but I still like the design of their masks it’s gimmicky but in a cool way. 1 Not really feeling this as an intro, kinda abrasive and doesn’t come together quite right rhythmically. A skip for me. 2 ok now we’re talking, the kick is crazy on this. Bit of loud war fuzz for sure, but it kinda adds to the edgy aesthetic. It def is edgy, but like the drums rip so fucking hard and I can hear every time the bass strings hits the pickup but like a good way. Kinda overstays its welcome, feels like a long 3 and change to me. 3 I’ve heard the intro to this song before (word to StarPowerDrummer) it is so so so good. When the vocals and bass drop in proper too they speed up just a tad and I can feel my body getting twitchy wanting to be in a pit man. Like yeah the lyrics kinda suck, but it’s such a full commitment that if you kinda just turn off your brain and buy in (very aided by the drums and being as insane as they are) it’s really fun. I’m down. Listened to the rest of this at work, so just short thoughts for the rest because I wasn’t writing while listening: 4 Feels the most radio ready slipknot is gonna get, and so kinda tame. Not a whole lotta punch or distinctiveness. Good length though and the vocals and breakdown at the end are good 5 This feedback thing is kinda what the first track tired to do— still doesn’t work. Fucking love the percussion though, the clanks are great lol. Lyrics are a bit of a tantrum, but I’m kind of always down for a fuck the man song. Again, what makes the vocals work is that they fully buy in— there’s no wink or nudge or joke to get, he’s just mad. Last 40 seconds or so rip 6 Guitar sounds a little flat on this one. The rap and scratches are fun but kinda shit lol 7 Slow build on this, I like the patience and the payoff— still don’t like the feedback though. 8 Wish the kick was given more bass in the mix. Trash can cymbal is back, love it. Hook vocals are a little corny 9 “Liberate my madness” kinda doesn’t mean shit, does it? Like that doesn’t really make sense? This is the first song that really starts to see this record feel kinda bloated, nothing here to remember besides a cool lil bit of metric modulation with the 3 over 4 riff over drums. Still good vocals, still technically good, just nothing new. 10 This song is kinda gross man. I think the my parents are divorcing and I’m angry at the world music only works if you’re angry at the world, not at a specific entity— otherwise it just feels like a kid throwing a tantrum. The fact this entity seems to be a potential romantic partner just makes this track feel super rapey. 11 Zack de la Rocha woulda done this song better, but it’s still alright. Their drummer is so fucking good 12 Kick is way too small and clicky on this song, bugs tf outta me— feels like such an obvious thing to fuck up. I like the vocal layers 13 The rapping on this is not good, which sucks cos I like the bass and turntable stuff on this. Cutttime on chorus is good too. This is def what seventh graders play before getting in a fight on a blacktop though lol. Ugh but the drums are so GOOD. But no, doesn’t work as a whole. Same trouble as track 10. 14 I can appreciate what they’re trying to do, but ~8 minutes on the 14th track of an album otherwise pretty quick and dirty is a big ask, and it just doesn’t have a cinematic quality I buy into. Commitment can’t overcome stale instrumentation and form. 15 Blastbeat rips, lyrics are braindead in the best way, decent closer. Look— if you buy in, there’s stuff to like here. I think being angry at everything and everyone is, whether we like to admit it or not, a very human emotion. Consequently, I don’t really buy the idea that numetal aged poorly as a larger concept or form? But the sound and aesthetics themselves fray at the edges, and the album’s cutting floor could’ve been a little more cluttered.

This is way better than I thought it would but also my entire view of Slipknot was shaped by the dudes I knew in middle school who were all nice but also kinda scared me. I was not a cool kid. Anyway.

How did I sleep on this for so long

Nope.

I can see how it influenced bands like Linkin Park but its just a lot of yelling on its own.

Not completely unlistenable, a couple of interesting elements due to them putting the nu into nu-metal. Preferable to the earlier thrash metal albums on this list - also amazing how many subgenres there are - I am curious about melodic death metal in particular...

Really not my thing. Far too angsty and aggressive, though I can see its appeal to confused teenagers and young men with excess testosterone. Better than I anticipated TBF, but it all sounded much the same half way in, not even the decent production which had me paying attention early in the album could save it. Happy to report I made it through the original release in its entirety, but I won’t be rushing back to Slipknot.

Nu metal and this kind of angry and annoyingly aggressive music with lyrics that I don't even understand is not my thing at all. Truly awful, 1 star.

Som ett misslyckat självmordsförsök

Terrible. How does anyone “sing” like that without destroying their vocal chords? The drumming was unbelievable though.

Pretty bad!

Pretty good

Surprised I never got into them when I was in my nu metal phase. This album was freaking rad.

Not my thing but probably great if it is your thing

I’d be this angry if I grew up in Iowa surrounded by nothing but corn and tornados. There not diversity of things to see or do in that state, just like there’s no diversity of songs in this album. The track listing ebbs and flows from one song that is uptempo overplayed busy drumming, heavy metal guitar riffs, singing and screaming, and sound effects peppered in, to another songs that’s the same, followed by another song of the same. I have always said that it’s easy to hate. It’s a primal emotion that doesn’t require people to think critically. This is hate music. While the talent it requires to play these songs is impressive for sure, the actual songs and the emotion they are meant invoke in the listener are basic, boring, and simple. Hate music is simple to write. Instead, writing a beautiful melody or a love song is much more vulnerable and infinitely harder to do. People should strive to emotionally evolve. There is no evolution emotionally here. Lastly, I do laugh at the jokes along the lines of how this album is the perfect embodiment of a 14 year old boy who was asked by his step mom to take out the trash for the 5th time and he had to quit his online Call of Duty match. He’s so pissed, especially after taking the trash out and he goes to the kitchen and realizes he drank the last of the Mountain Dew Baja Blast and ate the last of the Flaming Hot Cheetos.

This is the metal that came out a few years after I had discovered just how much other music is out there and I had never paid much attention to it. Apart from Korn's "Life Is Peachy", that is, which did leave an impression at the time. This fits that mold. It bangs. I could do without the metal rap scratching, which sounds dumb today; but here's my usual qualifier: did I have fun with it, mostly? Yep. Would I file my experience under epiphany or significant discovery? Nah. But a proper 4, that one.

I don't diminish and trash on a genre of music or a band simply because I can't find enjoyment listening to it; Slipnot is no different. I do not understand this type of music, and I never will, and that is okay. I am impressed by the intensity with which the instruments are played, the sound the band can create, and the vocal fry the singer expertly and masterfully produces. I will confess that I did enjoy/tolerate a few songs, and I have listened to Slipnot in the gym as the intensity/aggression of the music while working out can act as a motivator. Outside of the gym, however, I cannot fathom why anyone goes out of their way to listen to this.

I mean, they can play, I suppose, but oh dear, my ears. I really can't cope with drums at this speed and the incessant roaring and shouting. It's probably a three out of ten, because I don't like completely dissing bands just because I don't like it, but there's really no point rounding up to two out of five - I hated It.

For all of their innovation and skill, I still find myself bored with Slipknot.

Fucking Slipknot. I had a string of banger albums so of course it couldn't last. Is it a good album? No Does it mark a point in culture? Probably. It just made me wonder what are the sad white boys listening to now a days? That virgin Andrew Tate? Guess there are worse things than slipknot. Anyway this album has a time and a place. I think this is better than the other one on this list (2 seriously?)but still not good.

Seguimos con la semana de preadolescencia/adolescencia ahora con Slipknot. Recuerdo sentir más atracción que miedo por el grupo y sus sonidos y es una de las pocas bandas de ése subgénero que luego he seguido escuchando. La percusión de éste disco es un infierno. Sin más para decir, me despido hasta el jueves.

pleasantly surprised

Solid entry to numeral genre. Some good metal songs, some forgettable. Wait and bleed is such in my head.

2 slipknot albums? Sorry, this is shit.

This brought back a lot of memories - as a raging middle-schooler in rural Indiana, I felt that it spoke to me at the time. It is probably one of the better examples of late 90s metal (or even nu-metal) conventions, and serves as a guidepoint for where the culture was. I feel like Slipknot was the most extreme and hardest example of metal at the time, and really did put other contemporaries (such as Limp Bizkit) to shame. Unless you are a metalhead, its not really an enjoyable listen.

Music for when your parents get a divorce

Music made for middle school kids to piss off their parents.

I’ve never been a huge Slipknot fan but I’ve always been a massive metal fan since I was a kid. So I’m very nostalgic for a bunch of their singles like “duality”, “before I forget”, “psychosocial”, etc. But here’s my biggest critique of them as a band: they are not great at making an engaging full length album. They tend to jam their albums full of filler and songs that sound like more walls of sound. However, their self titled album is the exception to this rule. It’s the most complete package. It feels like it had real direction and creativity as opposed to the later albums where it feels like they are trying to regurgitate themselves. It reminds me of KISS in the sense that a lot of their music is trying so hard to keep their established fan base happy that they box themselves into specific ideas for what the band is supposed to sound like and how far their sound can grow in any direction. This album is a nice view of what this band was like before the “box” was in play. It’s not a perfect album however. For example there’s plenty of skips and filler on even their best album, but it’s still a solid staple and foundational pillar in the metal community and for good reason.

Didn’t realize how much of a nu-metal sound this already had in that time. I’m infinitely entertained by metal, but I tend to automatically phase out the lyrics, or mishear them to comical effect. This was great! (Liberate bananas!) Also the drums sound very tribal and organic at times, very clean too. Beautiful! 3.5

🤘 worth it for the wait and bleed song !

This was unexpected and exhilarating! For some reason I've really been liking heavier music lately, and this was great. Such precise rhythms and arrangements. Really well-produced because despite the wall of sound, you can clearly hear every part, including understanding the words of the vocals. It's angry music and maybe... everything going on.. is making this appeal to me more lately. Anyway, loved it.

The drummer is the star in my book. Also, I feel that there is quite a bit of musical creativity that is, unfortunately, overwhelmed by the screammo.

its okay aber würds nit noamal hören glaubi

3.5/5. Pretty cool debut but nu metal just doesn’t hold up.

Stupid fun, much better than the previous album of theirs. I feel the cringe and edge are so over the top it becomes fun again

I remember when these guys came out I kind of thought they were a little gimmicky. I was into 80s and early 90s metal, Megadeth, Metallica, Pantera, Slayer etc., but these guys' costumes kind of threw me off and never really listened to them much. Hearing this years later, they have a lot of energy, tons of thrash and a little groove. Nothing really stands out to me on this album as a track though, seems more like a jam band.

First of all, you can't here anything that the singer is saying. Secondly, even if you could, it's all predictable, formulaic, nihilist garbage. All the songs sound the same, there's one catchy track that manages to kill the mood at the same time, and they're trying so hard to be edgy that it makes them flop. Great drumming. Other than that, slipknot and nu-metal in general are trash.

Didn't care for it.

Not an easy listen, but if you're in the mood for metal that goes hard and offers something new and interesting for the post-nu-metal era, Slipknot is here for you. Built from trauma and the anger it produces. Fairly scary. Great live band as well.

I listened to about half of this, but couldn’t get through anymore. I really can’t stand it.

Really amped and fun. My brother’s kind of music.

This might be quintessential music made to conjure a mosh pit. Malicious messaging, volatile vocal performances, violent instrumentals. It’s done well! For what it is. The drumloop weaving in and out of “Eyeless” then going back to the ‘can’t see California’ vocal line was really cool. I didn’t expect any song from this album to be as sticky and memorable as that one. For sure my highlight of the project. “Surfacing” might be a nice little summation of this record - within the wild defiance and chaos lies a still-beating heart thats one bad day away from dropping the scary facade to give way to tears and all the trauma head on. Call this numetal or anything else you wanna call it, it’s not galavanting and it’s not typically machismo like some metal is (though “Tattered & Torn” would like you to think otherwise). I found a lot more nuance and substance here than I expected to. I think it just took a lot of trauma and a lot of artistic vision to realize the trauma in the way this album sounds. It’s crazy to read that they took their sound in a ‘darker’ direction after this. Seems hard to do! I wouldn’t listen to this again but am surprised by how much I got out of it / 5

We are in the dregs now. I had it too good for 600 days It's not like actively disgraceful but its pretty bad. It could do with some melody. Nu metal had a really specific time frame and outside of that time frame this music sounds unbelievably shit It'll be a 2, because it sounds like having a number 2. WHO DOES NUMBER 2 WORK FOR???

This is the first time I've played a Slipknot record. I was initially grabbed by the vim and vigour with which these lads approach their brand of metal. But a whole album of it left me a bit cold.

I have better things to do than listen to two Slipknot albums in one month

I think it does what it does very well. Its a ha4d listen but I admire it's guile !!!

Genuinely tough to listen to. A few not-terrible choruses, but otherwise will always be the official music of middle school children of divorce.

Terrible! Very loud and not musical!

Not sure which is the more depressing: that people make music like this or that people want to listen to it. What a waste of time. That they dress up just reveals the inherent silliness of the entire exercise.

2/10

well. that was slipknot

Pre-listening thoughts: mom come pick me up I’m scared Post/during listening thoughts: god I am such a pop girl born after this time because I literally dislike so much music from this era besides britpop, hip hop, singer songwriters, and like boy bands/girl groups. Grunge, alt/indie rock (specifically from the 90s), and metal are such weak spots in terms of what music I like/how much my horizons are broadened. I had a coworker who would play metal/grunge all day for eight hours and she was fired a few months ago but man I still can’t listen to those genres and enjoy them just because of how much I had to listen to them then. I do realize I haven’t said anything about this album in specific. Just stuff about the genre. Well, this album is dogshit. Loud! I have never felt like I needed earplugs while listening to something through my headphones. Until now. 1/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no!!!!!!!!!! Fav tracks: it would be a miracle if Slipknot could make something I enjoyed Least fav tracks: dude if you haven’t gotten to this album yet I’m praying for you. So much better metal out there than this (and I HATE metal!). Like this is REALLY bad. It’s like someone took rage against the machine and made their lyrics have the emotional maturity of a fifth grader, and when they’re not awkwardly speak rapping over obnoxiously loud instrumentals, they’re yelling in hopes it makes their immature point come across more. TLDR it’s ALL my least fav track

I gave them a couple flowers for their other album but no, hell no. Who actually likes this and what is wrong with them?

One star for the drums, one star for the energy, and a third for the amount of piss they've boiled. One for luck.

I once worked at a pizza place with this guy. He was the biggest idiot I think I've ever met. Not an exaggeration. It took him 40 minutes to deliver something across the street. He one time got pulled over by the cops because he was swerving and told them he was "sleepy" and our manager had to go pick him up and finish the delivery. He one time cut something into 17 pieces ( a prime number mind you) when it was supposed to be 16 (still wonder how he did that). He also refused to put just one screen on things in the oven that required it because "then too much radiation would get in". But the thing that I think he was stupidest about was that this kid (despite being an aspiring rapper I think) acted like he had never heard songs before in his life. He once got Eminem confused with the Hamilton soundtrack. A lot of us at the store were big fans of Juice WRLD (personally I was lukewarm on him but whatever). This kid acted stunned to learn about him as we explained to him about his at the time recent passing. The next day, a different manager is playing Slipknot as we close, this kid dead-ass goes up to her, points to the sky, and says "Man I was just listening to him, R.I.P Juice!". As we all stare at him in complete confusion. Anyways a few months later he beat his girlfriend in our parking lot and we got him arrested never saw him again so fuck him. Slipknot sucks and so did he fuck him. 1/10

Noise

Should not be on this list.

Pleasantly surprised. It’s got some interesting percussion. I expected fast and intense but it was differentiated. Cant get over the screaming though…

heard this album a couple times in the past, but i'll listen again for a refresher favs: (sic), eyeless, wait and bleed, spit it out, liberate, eeyore drums definitely are the the best part of this album, same with all their other releases i'm really surprised how harshly this is being rated here tbh. it's not perfect, but i don't think this was nearly as awful as some of these reviews say it is ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not for me but pleased for this challenge to make me listen to the whole album. Assume this is intentionally ‘accessible’ which is why they went more mainstream than most.

Such a good album. Not my go-to genre but good for the occasional listen.

I enjoy heavy metal and some of the experimental sounds Slipknot does here. Some of the sounds they get out of their guitar are unlike anything I've ever heard. Wait and Bleed and Spit it Out are solid songs. But there are many songs that just don't land for me. Too much screaming without interesting instrumentation to balance it out.

3.6 Preface this by saying I was big into Slipknot as a young teenager. Always preferred Vol 3 to their debut but still liked it. Listening back I think the thing that really derails it is Tattered and Torn. After a great early run the last thing it needed was to have the wind taken out of its sales. It never really gets back to the same level after imo. Good album, but a great gateway drug into heavier metal for every young child. The latter part makes it much more important and worthy inclusion on this list (All Hope Is Gone was a baffling addition in comparison)

I'm not really into this at all, but I'll give them some credit for inventing (or popularizing?) "Nu Metal" - that's something. On a side note, I do like Corey Taylor.

I prefer my metal more atmospheric, but this album is good. Still, the instrumentation is, in my ears, the sonic equivalent of a dry cracker going down your throat. 6.5/10 Fave track: Liberate

Poor little diddums. I'd be angry if my throat hurt that much. There are some decent riffs BUT, those drums sound like a toy set while nobody can ever persuade me that that vocal style is anything other than a joke.

Amazing how many people have listened to this on Spotify. It's pretty talentless apart from the drumming as others have noted. Very generic and devoid of imagination.

Always loved this album!

Very tough listen. Loads of people at school were obsessed, but I’m starting to think they were more really into the idea of liking Slipknot than they were into Slipknot. I ate up System of a Down about the same time, so maybe that’s me sated for screaming nu-metal for a lifetime

Not really into metal although there are some elements I quite like here. The drumming is awesome, I like the scratching too. Not a not huge fan of the shouty vocals though and it's too long, it just sounded like noise to me after a while

I hated it, obviously, but by and large that's because of the vocals. I recognize that there's something there otherwise (hence a two not a one) - in particular I admire the skill of the drummer, even if the tracks are hard for me to listen to.

I really hope there are only 2 slipnot records on this list. Hated every second of it. Granted I don’t like this style of music, but I hear even people who do kinda shit on slipnot. Just a painful hour to get through

I'm a metal fan. I've enjoy a lot of heavier songs, volumn, dark lyrics, screaming etc. I just didn't really get on with this. I remember thinking Slipknot were gimmicky when they first made it big when I was younger. I'd not listened to them before and was at pains to try and come into this with an open mind but honestly, this was a struggle. The production sound was fine and there were some decent hooks but not many and the songs didn't have much more than that. What I caught of the lyrics wasn't anything to write home about.

I don’t deny their place in musical history but I just cannot get on board with this type of music.

I used to be really into the whole numetal and numetal adjacent scene and the truth is a lot of this stuff doesn't hold up well at all. This kinda still slaps. It's way more raw than most of the overproduced studio metal coming out around this time. I'm gonna be generous.

This was awesome. I haven't listened to this album front to back since high school and I may like it more now than I did then. There's so many different sounds from song to song, but also in songs themselves. Double bass and blast beats with DJ scratching and screaming into a stripped back bridge accented with keg hits? It can only be Slipknot I love the difference in the vocal styles they use throughout this album- from screaming to singing to using a high pass filter to get the "radio voice", it kept things feeling fresh. There's some really cool & catchy metal riffs, but I think they do a really good job creating catchy rhythms. They fall into that nu-metal formula like I noticed in Hybrid Theory, but not nearly as often as LP did.

Still love this album. Good trip down memory lane. If you didn’t know, one did a backflip onto me off the speakers at one of the shows.

Holy shit, I did not expect this album to turn up here. I remember when this thing came out. The late 90’s were a disappointing time for new music. MTV stopped playing videos for TRL & Reality bull shit, the radio was full of Creed, Nickleback, and Boy Bands, and metal was morphing into its Nu phase with Linkin Park, Papa Roach, and Limp Bizkit 😒. Then out of fucking nowhere come these masked lunatics from Iowa with this record that is just banger after face melting banger. This shit still hits hard. Saw them when they were touring for this album, and I got kicked in the knee in the pit. My buddy Ray tried stealing one the Slipknot guy’s shoes when he jumped into the crowd from on top of the speakers, and he got kicked in his chest. Good times 🤘🏻🤘🏻

I called 'Hybrid Theory' the peak of nu-metal the other day, but this album shows me that I was mistaken. A debut album so good, I have no recollection of their follow-up album. Sophomore slump was a given. Great headphones album - so much going on - loud and aggressive, but still melodic and pleasing. When it was over, I was ready to play it again. Not always a given for me on the heavier stuff.

Okay, not super my thing.

Shouting and screaming over noise. No thanks.

Listening to heavy metal makes me anxious and on the verge of having a panic attack. So. much. screaming. At one point though, I burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of the lyrics and the screaming, so maybe not too traumatizing.

This was a shoo in for a 1 but then I smoked a little bit and started playing Madden… I locked tf in! Great hype music but still not fir me 😂

Just the right side of this type of metal to be listenable as an album.

3.5 stars. Really have to be in a specific mood to get into nu metal. But as far as the genre goes, this is pretty good and definitely goes hard. Beginning of the album (tracks 2-4) are the strength, then it really tails off and feels like filler with some real duds: "Spit It Out" is super cheesy (worst of 2000's rap-rock nu-metal). "Prosthetics" and "Get This" both repetitive and annoying.

And here's Brick Tamlin with your official review: LOUD NOISES!!! Now over to Charles Barkley for his thoughts: Turrible. Thanks, Chuck. Turn this shit off. 0/5

Better than I remembered.

I don't want to be sick sic*

This is the 37th album I’m rating. I’ve been meaning to listen to this for a really long time now. Now is time. Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Not Adding to my Playlist - 742617000027, (sic), Eyeless, Wait and Bleed, Surfacing, Spit It Out, Tattered & Torn, Frail Limb Nursery, Purity, Liberate, Prosthetics, No Life, Diluted, Only One, and Scissors. All in all I liked 0/15 songs. This really wasn’t that good. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world but most things are better than this. As boring as nu metal can be.

The hope for this project was to discover albums I never would have listened to - and find new favorites. The revelation was that I don't hate metal. But this is what I always thought metal was. Some angry dude screaming at me and/or moaning/worshiping violence/murder/death/etc. There are other things I'd listen to to revel in anger/misanthropy. This isn't going to be it. And I acknowledge that the drummer is AMAZING. 2: I don't *hate* it, but I'm never going to seek it out, and I'm likely to skip it/turn the channel if it plays.

Groovy to the max

Slipknot accounts for two of my cringiest life moments, both from high school, that still stick with me today some 25+ years later. I mentioned one in my last review of Slipknot, so I’ll recount the other in this review. It was my junior year and I was the only boy on Yearbook staff. Every day we got to choose what music we listened to in the background, but given my tastes, I had very little say. Occasionally I’d be able to throw on Incubus’s Make Yourself or other pop-friendly rock albums, but most days resulted in a battle over whether N’Sync or Backstreet Boys were the better boy band. I actually didn’t hate that music, but it wasn’t my preferred genre, and my yearbook advisor knew it. One day while working on a spread after school, it was just me and the yearbook teacher, Mrs. Bauman. What compelled her to extend this particular olive branch is beyond me, but she said, “Hey you can put on whatever you want.” I said, “Anything? Are you sure? I like really heavy stuff” or something to that effect. She assured me that it was fine and I could play whatever. “Even if it has explicit lyrics?” Sure, she said. I then proceeded to assault this poor woman’s ears with an entire hour of post-industrial butt rock with screaming, scratchy lyrics, double drums, pounding bass, and wall-of-sound guitars. I’m not saying it wasn’t good (for what it is, it might not be bad, and I attempt to figure that out upon this relisten), but in hindsight, I cringe knowing that I probably never looked the same in that teacher’s eyes. I probably would have been happy putting on Led Zeppelin. As alluded to, this is actually the second Slipknot album I’ve had to review on here. With the first, I wondered if my appreciation of them from my high school days would carry over to an album that I had no nostalgic ties to. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t think it was good music at all. However, looking back on that review, I noticed one phrase that stood out: This isn’t heavy enough for what I remember of Slipknot. One thing you have to realize is that this Slipknot album dropped when nu-metal was at the height of the cultural zeitgeist. Bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit had topped the pop charts (TRL anyone?) and for the general populous, that was all fine and dandy. But for some of us, those bands became a gateway drug into much heavier music. When Slipknot entered the picture, we were primed and ready. To an angsty teen wanting to escape the confines of suburbia, bands like Slipknot, Static-X, and Machine Head served as the soundtrack to my identity. How much cooler that Slipknot didn’t show their faces but hid behind creepy Halloween masks and prison jumpsuits? This album will certainly be heavier than 2008’s All Hope Is Gone, but will I look back fondly on one of this bizarre genre’s greatest achievements or will I cringe even more at my high school self’s obsession with it? Well, after perhaps the longest introduction to a review ever…let’s find out. I am surprised I actually enjoyed some of this. Sure, I suppose some of my enjoyment was nostalgia. I remembered some of the lyrics and recognized some riffs. Slipknot definitely had found a unique sound in a saturated landscape of nu-metal. Theirs relied less on the rap-rock gimmick (though it does show up in glimpses here and there) and more on a thumping drum and bass, fist-pumping, head-banging wall-of-sound industrial metal. I feel like this album took what happened in the 90s with industrial music and made it, dare I say, poppy? This is certainly not a pop album, but it has a catchiness to it despite it sounding like a mess sometimes. I think that’s what the allure was for me: the songs have hooks I could sing and head-bang along to. Now, I’d actually argue to my previous rhetorical question of fondness vs. cringe that the answer is “both.” Because although there is a neat sound happening here, the lyrics are embarrassingly bad. Yes, my angry teenage self resonated with all the “I hate everythings” and “f*ck yous” but that’s all it in: an empty void of anger filled with expletives to shout along to. By the way, I had two loving parents and grew up middle class in the suburbs. There was no reason I was so filled with hate during the last few years of high school (was the music rubbing off on me or did I seek this kind of music out?). Either way, it’s laughably bad despite there being something cool and fun going on in the sound here. Of course, the creepy costume gimmick added to the allure. I’m sure my 17-year-old self loved that. Probably a 3.5 due to the lyrics but I'll bump it to a 4 for exceeding my expectations.

Brutal, blistering metal. I was definitely banging my head to a lot of this. Although some of it, like the punishing assault of “Tattered & Torn,” pushed the limits of what I could tolerate. The drums are amazing. In addition to driving the energy of most of these songs, the drums occasionally have some playful moments that break from traditional metal drumming. And the riffs are killer. There’s no denying the skill these guys have. Some cool genre mixing here too (including some record scratches and rapping). Keeps the music fresh. Slipknot continues to impress me (this is their second album on the list so far) but I can’t imagine I’ll ever want to listen to this again. It’s just too brutal.

An unfortunate power surge made me lose my review for this one, which is really unfortunate because it was pretty in depth. This is a great album from a great band. Slipknot I feel are one of the more underrated popular heavy metal bands of the past few decades, and I think this was a very solid debut by them. It's got raw energy, a ton of compelling moments, and a really refreshingly brutal sound.

Actually, fine

Прослушивание этого альбома навело меня вот на какие мысли: как же так получилось, что те самые мифические 12-летние дети, о которых так усиленно говорят на rym и даже здесь в ревью, когда дело заходит о Slipknot, как эти дети проходят путь от вот этого музона к хот топ-100 билбордов, спотифаев и проч? (теперь я зашел посмотреть, что же в топ-50 глоубал спотифая и немного охуел, ведь там, конечно, есть сомнительные персонажи, но вообще довольно неплохие артисты...) В любом случае, этот альбом немного очень кринж, но софт спот по молодости и борьбе рэп-пацанов с вот этими любителями Стигматы и Слипнота. Лучшая песня - Wait & Bleed.

I think if I gave this more than 2 stars it would be an insult to Slipknot. So 2 stars or D- it is. They don't want me to like it and I don't.

Screamo is not for me.

My appreciation for heavy metal is gradually developing

Amazing album, the raw energy and power was so incredible, the first time I heard Wait and Bleed it just blew me away I was not aware that it would be one of the key albums in my life

It's nearly impossible for me to believe there ANOTHER Slipknot album on this list. I fucking hope there isn't a 3rd. 1. Annoying 2. Made it ¾ of the way through and skipped 3. No 4. I quite like the chorus, but the rest of the vocals I just can't deal with. I did listen to the whole song though 5. Skipped when the hoarse screaming started 6. This sounds like if Linkin Park sucked and then played a 311 cover at 4x speed 7. Nope. Skipped 8. Better, but still no. Skipped 9. Nope. Skipped 10. Listened all the way through. Not great, but at I could get through the whole thing 11. I got all the way through this one too. It wasn't for me 12. I think this was the track I liked most on this album so far. It seems like the back half of this has musical stylings that are closer to my tastes (still very much not my taste) 13. Also not bad. I'm not sure if the back half of this album is different, or it's sort of growing on me 14. Skipped when the vocals got all screamy. Had potential though 15. I listened all the way through, but wasn't enthusiastic about it I love Corey Taylor when he's doing his solo thing and with Stone Sour, but I just can't like this. I just do not like this kind of music. Admittedly, the drums are fucking CRAZY GOOD. Crazy good! All in all, I would have rather been listening to downtown traffic instead of this. 2

Well it was a 5 before I even re-listened to it. Such a fantastic album. Amazing energy, raw aggression, fantastic musicianship, incredible debut.

I’m not the target demographic here - ie, a teen boy - but damn this shreds. It is far too noisy and unrelenting for me to listen to the whole thing in a sitting, or probably ever revisit, but I do appreciate it. The singer/screamer transforms astonishingly from a rather nice regular voice into the most ragged screams you’ve ever heard. And, he even pulls off the rap/rock parts. I also liked the production with some electronic elements.

Oh yes, it is over the top. But that is exactly what it wants to be, right. Apart from the terrible production (loudness war at its worst), this is a pretty genuine record, one that helped shape a new genre - a genre that I dislike for the most - but you can't blame the for the cheap copycats. I don't care much about the quality of the lyrics in here, because the lyrics don't give a * on being great. Of course, this is all about a very limited period in some people's lives, but who to judge and blame for such experiences? I favor this record and sometimes do listen to it, even as a grumpy 55ish. What would we be if we did not allow ourselves to remind us of who we were and how lucky we are we didn't end up where this one proposes. If it weren't for the production, I would give it a better rating, but I think the loudness muddles the sound and takes away from the aggression.

not my bag

While I am not a fan of the screaming vocal style of the album, I absolutely respect the quality of the actual music. The driving drumming and exciting guitars make this an album worth listening to, I truly wish there was more of the singers actual voice.

Bro. This shit SLAPS. Saw them on this tour in grade 10 with Coal Chamber. Elite stuff.

Metal rudo, no es de mi total aceptacion

I listened to this while playing fortnite and I got 25 kills and a victory royale Fuck yeah 3 ⭐️

much of the material in this album sounds like a mix between system of a down, faith no more and 2000’s era slayer. vocals often sounding like a psychotic person off their meds. sense of desperation is a common theme. vocalist often switches from “clean” vocals to “harsh” vocals within songs. certainly a wild ride and i would have to be in the right mood to listen to this.

Gross. These vocals ain’t for me, dog

Ok

I don't like Slipknot but they have some fun tracks. I never was into the Nu metal thing and, while they are an actual metal band, that noxious influence is still present. I will say that some of the lyricism is wry and genuinely fun. The beats are undeniable. Maybe I was not in the mood for what is tantamount to an auditory panic attack? I mean, it is a solid greatest hits album.

Nope can’t listen 1*

Absolute shit, I don’t get it

I’m afraid to say I really can’t get on board with this type of music ;( maybe it is good for what it is, but this one is not for me, sorry slipknot

I had a great time listening to this! I’m a fan of heavier stuff like this. Though I’ve never listened to much of Slipknot, I think it’s a great introduction to their kind of music as I know they’ve gone HEAVIER. I really liked (sic) and Spit it out (hyper version)! Playing a relatively tame and relaxing game with their music in the background was silly but somehow entertaining.

holy lone sigma wolf. I'm gonna off myself I took my airpods out during a lab and for some reason it started blasting out my phone at full volume and now everyone thinks I'm a weirdo. Me personally I can't be dealing with heavy metal this is not my genre holy screaming and nonsense. MOTHERRRRR FUCKKERRRRR ahh song like ayo chill the tf out yo.

crikey. I found this album pretty fatiguing after the first couple of songs. In small doses the songs are pretty good and I will say the drums are quite incredible, the start of Eyeless is very DnB-esque. But just sitting at home trying to work this was a hard listen. Maybe need to relisten when playing doom or summin. Fav song: Wait and bleed?

Nu metal kind of got the worst of all worlds. It doesn't have the dark atmosphere or the songwriting of classic metal; it doesn't have the energy of early '90s metal; nor does it have the raw aggression and heaviness of modern metal. What does it have to compensate? I don't know actually, and this album certainly doesn't make things clearer. That being said, I personally don't have a strong opinion on nu metal and just find most metal from that era to be kind of mid, Slipknot included. But I recognize that there are also good things that came out of the nu metal era, like Deftones or System of a Down. Nu metal seems to be treated as this bastard child of metal by much of the internet community, something you don't like but with whose existence you have to cope. For that matter, Slipknot being the poster child of the genre, it's hard to find any sort of civil discussion about this album, or any of their discography, really. For some reason, people seem to be more concerned with what is the age limit after which you're not allowed to enjoy Slipknot; whether or not you're a "poser" for liking them; or can you even consider nu metal as a whole "metal" (because that's an argument that exists, somehow). But since nothing is going to stop children (be it mental or literal) from airing out their insecurities by stating that they definitely, without a shadow of a doubt didn't like a popular thing, let’s just not worry about any of this shit and talk about the music from Slipknot's self-titled, because this, at least in my humble opinion, is what music reviews are for. I actually was pleasantly surprised with this album initially. Although simplistic, the first half had plenty of catchy riffs and lyrics. But that quickly started falling apart towards the second half. The riffs became monotonous and repetitive, and the vocals lost all of their charm. It is obvious that they just ran out of ideas after some time. This album just didn't have to be this long. Why commit to a 55-minute album when you don't have enough material? Just cutting this album to 35-40 minutes would've made it noticeably better (although all Slipknot albums tend to be on the longer side, for some reason). It also seems to have some problems with the mix. The guitars on some tracks sound overly compressed and sort of distant. Overall, although I can't call this good music, I didn't hate it. The first half was pretty fun, but the second half has some boring songs and definitely drags the experience down. The people calling this unlistenable garbage are definitely overreacting, though—it's not that bad.

It’s okay. Iowa is where they really took off for me.

This is objectively better than the other things on this list that are adjacent to this genre of music at this time period. Obviously a talented band, just not for me.

I listened to the first 7 tracks. It's not my thing. I can see how it could be someone's hing though. Only a 1 for me though.

Nope.

Great tunes but overstays its welcome some.

Peso com excelentes opções para as listas de músicas para correr. Prediletas da casa, "Wait and Bleed", "(sic)" e "Spit It Out"

There are waaay too many people in that band.

"Maybe if we scream incessantly and loud enough it will seem intense and interesting." No.

Not for me 1/5

742617000024- 5 sic- 5 eyeless- 4 wait and bleed- 4 surfacing- 4 spit it out- 3 tattered and torn- 4 me inside- 4 liberate- 4. i keep thinking hes saying banana and that kinda makes it more fun prosthetics- 5 no more this is what the suicide squad joker listens to as he gets his forehead tattoo touched up

In my teenage years I listened to a lot of Slipknot. This album contains some iconic songs. Yes, they are heavy, but I enjoy sometimes this kind of music.

There’s a second Slipknot album in this list?!

Great already listened to it

all i know is that i’m not listening to 1hr 18 minutes of this album, any remixes and demos are not getting listened to. i’m hoping i like it though. so far i don’t lol. i’m on like the 4th or 5th song and i’m waiting to like it i’ll be so honest. i couldn’t finish this, it was giving me anxiety walking around the shop and i’m certainly not listening to it at home, i had like 3 more songs left, i’m quite confident i wouldn’t have liked them either. i would say there’s a lot of talent and some interesting voice talking techniques or what not, but it’s not for me unfortunately.

The drums are fantastic. Some songs are good but definitely not my favourite ones. But yes it’s a classic if you want to discover the band.

many people might call slipknot listeners psychotic, but i highly suggest to those people... stop being pussies. yeah, it's hardcore, it's aggressive, but is it bad? hell no. slipknot bursts through your speakers with their self titled debut album. between all the scratchy screams is catchy melodies and fast guitars that'll make you bang your head like a looney. it's not like these guys are being morbid just for the sake of it, there's significant and eloquent writing at play. fuck this world! seriously! fuck it all. i feel that. i genuinely have master the art of not giving a fuck.

Ugh.

Not really my kind of music but tolerable.

Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: 😈👺👹🤖🗿🤡👽💀🎃 Production (10th Anniversary): 👊🤘🥩 Music: 👦😒🖤🎧🔊🔥 Rating: 👺👹🤡👽(💀)/5

No thanks. A little too heavy for me, the instrumentation I can somewhat appreciate but the vocal style is just too hard. 1.5 stars

Now that’s nu- metal

If you're a white kid who does not dig hip-hop or rap, this would be the ideal music. Powerful, loud, and annoying. I understand how one could feel this music and have a visceral response to it. I'm just not that person.

Einhæft. Frábær trommuleikur. Lúðalegir textar. Hávaði bara á tímabilum. Ekki minn tebolli. Nu metal sökkar.

This type of music is not my thing. That's been well established at this point of my album journey. That said, earlier this summer I went to a music festival in Richmond and one night somehow ended up at a show in this genre in the side room of some burrito place with like 20 people in attendance. I felt wildly out of place, and probably lost years of hearing from the noise level. It still wasn't really my thing, but I can kind of see how the in person experience can be critical for this. I feel like I don't have enough anger in my life to need this outlet, but I can see how it could be an outlet. I also respect people showing up for local bands, and this genre seems to have a much more small and local flair to it than others. I like that. That said, this is not for me (especially the studio version). I expected it to not be for me, and I was right. Very little redeeming qualities for this one. I'm sure they're talented and all, but it's harsh and loud and not for me. I was going to listen to it with my morning coffee, but decided to push it back to my afternoon workout. That was definitely the right call. The best part of this album was that it's very long and I didn't want to listen to it outside of the gym, so I stayed in the gym longer than I normally do. So good for my health, bad for my ears. Favorite song: Wait and Bleed Other: Purity 1/7/25

Misanthropic, weary, percussive raging. Front-loaded yet filled with bangers. Some of the white-boy rap and electronic stylistic flairs age poorly and do not complement the strengths of the band. Everything great about this album is improved upon by Iowa (2001), though this record gets kudos for being the more pioneering force of the two.

++: 742617000027, Eyeless, Spit It Out, Tattered & Torn, Frail Limb Nursery, Prosthetics +: (sic), Wait and Bleed, Liberate, No Life, Scissors +-: Surfacing, Diluted, Only One -: Purity, Eeyore --: Mudslide 5,5/10

Takes me back to high school, had some friends who would always play this or Godsmack, and I remember watching the debut on Conan. Scream metal isn't usually my thing, even with my taste in music expanding greatly. It can be hard to recognize bands or albums that are great at what they are but not in your wheelhouse. Raw energy that is contagious this whole album but exhausting by the end. Something that I would still only listen to situationally or as a part of another media (songs in video games) not casually on my own.

Didn't listen to the entirety and I feel like that's a good thing

not judging! I checked them out yrs ago because I'd heard of the insane rotating drum kit/upside down drumming sesh.. no dice minus 100 stars is my vote. How this is music for anyone is baffling. I gave it a shot - which lasted exactly 12 seconds before turning it off. The horror! The sound they create is so disturbing and so unpleasant.. if I ever have the misfortune of hearing this again it will be too soon.

It’s wild how someone can growl-scream-sing and then sound like the gentle neighbor next door within seconds. Woah.

Slayer is to Coltrane's chaotic quartet's A Love Supreme what Slipknot is to MDs cinematic insanity on Botches Brew. Just wanted to get that sentence out. No doubt this is unrelenting rage cast indesdriminattly in all directions. With that approach I guess you're bound to hit something. When this came out I was probably past that point. Strangely listening now - walking in the woods - I find and it quite effective. I believe that very heavy pummeling music can turn the corner and become meditative- not in a spa way but in a cathartic scream way. There are enough dynamics and production/musical flourishes - and just about surreal weirdness - to keep it interesting for an entire album. And fun fact - while not for everyone - the top 5 Spotify spins are similar to Alice in Chains, Pearl jam and...U2 at 3+BILLION. So it most t certainly for someone. Bonkers. But cathartic.

As much as I hate nu metal this wasn’t terrible. Not a whiny as Linkin Park or the rest I was actually able to channel my inner 14 year old and bop to some of it.

Likte det overraskende mye. Trodde ikke jeg skulle like noe musikk som dette, men det var bra. Trommisen var jævlig god, breakcore drum patterns til tider. Minnet også mye om Meteroa som er helt fantastisk. Vokalisten var også god. Ble kanskje litt mye av det samme, når man kom til midtpunktet visste man hva resten skulle være.

Slipknots first album with Corey. Its pretty good. I remember seeing them on tshirts everywhere. Its not a bad album but i prefer the Iowa or Vol 3. Groundbreaking tho

Finns några plus och några minus. Först ut det dåliga. Det är ofattbart töntig musik. Alltså vansinnigt töntigt. Sen gillar jag intensiteten och rytmen. Det är bättre än slayer som var full fräs bara för att.

Några okej låtar, men mycket är faktiskt också helt vedervärdigt.

If you’re 14 and hate your stepdad, this may be the album for you. The lyrics are meant for angsty teenagers. But I'm neither angsty or a teenager. I will never been listening to this again.

Good, albeit this is a genre I much preferred when I was younger. The drums are always elite on Slipknot projects.

Bit monotonous

Very good. A sound unlike others.

I am sure they are good, but not my jam at all. Or at least not today.

I just can’t do that heavy metal stuff and screaming stuff. No thanks.

Nope, hated this one. I guess I just can't relate to the angsty teenage boy anger. Idk.

The only thing standing out was the drummer, but besides that: rapping/screaming, guitar riffs, and the rest like 1000s of other bands.

.

Heavy with some definite nu metal influence, decent album, Wait n Bleed obviously the big hitter, but really like Prosthetics too

Perfect for Christmas with loads of hidden melodies and glad tidings. Or did I put the wrong album on.

I think the opening sample is saying "I think its shit" which kinda sums up my view of the album.

Utter dreck.

Think I've got something of a new found understanding of metal. I also understand that most of it is shit. But will this be different? No. (sic) sounds like an amphetamine-induced rampage, and as an opener it works pretty well. Can really imagine being in the mosh in the Des Moines metalfest, and punching a stinking teenager in the mouth with this one. Decent stuff. They aren't Pantera. They aren't Napalm Death. Thankfully. A scattering of interesting stuff here and there. But mainly feel like this pushes absolutely no boundaries and offers no memorable tunes.

Rating: 7/10 Loved the energy, not so much the rapping.

Listened to this to death back in the day. Yeah… I’m older and wiser now but who cares - this is still a lot of fun!

líklega ekki fyrir mig. smellirnir smella.

I gave All Hope Is Gone a 2 and this one is worse. Mr. Dimery, please, one of these albums is enough.

Holds up surprisingly well for what it is: pissing off your parents and scaring your cat for nearly 30 years 😧.

Actually surprisingly fun. Almost a three.

Sweet fuck. This album is 25yrs old. Can you imagine getting your cerebrum caved in by this in 1999? It makes the limp shit by Limp Bizkit sound like a children’s record by comparison. It still sounds fresh because it was so far ahead of its time.

- Oft gehörtes geiles Teil - Ordentlich aufs Fressbrett und amtlich düster - Cory Taylor einfach einer der besten Vocalisten aller Zeiten. Geiler Sänger und extrem krasser Shouter. Das klingt immer so unfassbar aggressiv bei dem Typen. Love it. - Es muss 1999 schon ziemlich crazy gewesen sein, als die mit dem Album plötzlich rauskommen und man sich einfach nur denkt WTF. Zu dem Zeitpunkt gab es glaub ich nicht viel Vergleichbares, weder musikalisch noch im Auftreten mit den Masken, die bis heute derbe creepy sind. Zumindest nicht außerhalb der Undergroundszene. - Viele richtig geile Tracks drauf - Finde auch übrigens immer wieder geil, wie unterschiedlich Nu-Metal eigentlich war. Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Korn und SOAD haben in meiner Wahrnehmung so krass unterschiedliche Stile und doch ist es alles AUCH Nu-Metal. Im Falle von Slipknot halt gemischt mit Einflüssen aus Thrash-, teilweise auch Deathmetal und Hardcore. - Hab ich als Ganzes ewig nicht gehört, weil ich doch andere Alben eigentlich lieber mag. Aber mir ist grad wieder aufgefallen, wie gut ich die Platte auch finde. Rating: 4,25-4,5/5

- Slipknot hat mich noch nie so richtig abgeholt, weswegen ich bisher nur einzelne Tracks und diese auch eher unbewusst gehört habe - Da sie nächstes Jahr zum RaR kommen und ich trotz meines vorherigen Statements aus irgendeinem mir unerklärlichen Grund heiß darauf bin sie zu sehen, wollte ich so oder so vorher nochmal bewusster reinhören. Sehr passend also, dass sie jetzt sogar hier dran sind - ich feiere auf jeden Fall den rohen Sound deutlich mehr, als ich gedacht habe (bei Gitarre, Bass, Schlagzeug haben sie mich sowieso, Pluspunkte für das Tonnengekloppe - so klingt es jedenfalls und einer haut meine ich Live gerne mal auf eine Tonne?!) und Corey Taylor ist auch ein ziemlich geiler Shouter, ABER ich finde auch, dass sich viele Track doch seeehr ähnlich anhören (vielleicht muss ich das alles aber auch einfach nochmal öfter hören) . hat mich dann aber nach kurzer Zeit doch irgendwie in eine Art Zone gebracht, in der das Coden nebenbei ziemlich gut lief - wieder einmal hasse ich, dass man nur 1-5, statt wirklich in der Range 0-10 bewerten kann (und ich habe kein Bock darauf mein Rating hier in granulareren Schritten mit reinzuschreiben, trotzdem ist das irgendwo zwischen 3 und 4, wahrscheinlich eher Richtung 4, also 3,75)

fun

En mi opinión, ningún otro álbum de Slipknot llega a ser tan bueno como su debut (el más cercano es Iowa). La combinación de sonidos pesados, ritmos que evocan al Thrash, lirismo y ritmos vocales similares al hip-hop, pero con una expresión sumamente "agresiva" (razón de la por qué fue conocido como "agro-metal" durante un tiempo), convierten a este LP en un clásico automático de los 2000. Recomendable, pero no imprescindible.

This was exactly what I thought it would be: exhausting and boring at the same time.

These guys are exactly how they present themselves on the album cover…fucking clowns.

Another great mystery on this list is why on earth it needs to include two albums by Slipknot. I received another one (the appropriately titled 'All Hope is Gone') only a few weeks ago and was actually surprised by how much I disliked it. Nu Metal had some occasional successes but still generally just feels cringeworthy to me. Having said that, Slipknot's debut is a bit better. It's still sounds like an angsty adolescent trying to imitate Cookie Monster on meth, and I can only roll my eyes at some of the lyrics. But some of the music is actually pretty decent. Particular praise goes to the drummer who's really carrying the album. Give me a different vocalist and cut out some of the filler, samples and scratches, and this would be a pretty good album. It's at least a hell of a lot better than the other album on this list.

An assault to the ears but strangely hypnotic

Bounced off this hard. Just not my thing I think. Felt all very samey, hard to pick up particular riffs or lyrics. Maybe if I knew more about guitar I'd be more compelled.

Was too much of a metal purist to give this a proper chance back in the day. Belter of an album.

9/10

This is a really great album with so many bangers. I do think it has a bit of a sequencing issue in that the first 5 full tracks are such 00s metal classics that the rest of the album feels like a dip in comparison - spread those tracks out, keep the energy up all the way through and this would be a full 5 imo.

It's good and probably influential, but I don't feel like I enjoy this any more than any similar metal. Besides that, my enjoyment of this style of metal is very much mood-dependant. Favorite track: "Wait and Bleed"

Not really a metal guy. But I really appreciate the musicianship. I can recognize how talented they are. I mean metal drummers are just insanely talented.

clearly not even the heaviest/most aggressive outing from the band based on everything ive heard ab but still even among the already strange Nu Metal Cultural Phenomenon, this has to be one of the wildest records to ever reach this level of pop culture notoriety. was kinda thinking ab this as the genre's Reign In Blood for reasons that are definitely eternal and impartial and have nothing to do with the fact that i was listening to a bit of reign in blood yesterday so i was already thinking about it HFJFHSJF. maybe not technically the genres high water mark for intensity, but does a really stellar job making that intensity involving with stellar musicality and real muscle that might be difficult to process in the flurry but is there waiting to be discovered...genuinely interesting grooves and rhythmic ideas across this thing that never lose their fun angst caveman quality. corey taylor deserves a lot of genuine credit for having enough versatility to actually do all the things that a nu metal vocalist is supposed to be able to do...its rare to have all those specialties combine into one person, and makes me wish that more bands had a linkin park style Multi Vocalist Setup lol. honestly maybe more bands in more genres in general

Yeah I made it through track 4 before I said hell no. This era of metal to me was never my thing. It just grated on my nerves until I said “Fuck This!” and hit the stop button, and went to listen to some vinyl instead.

Do you know what not too bad

Fun to listen to Slipknots first album after hearing so much about them for so long but never engaging. Some solid songs, but it all blended together.

Zu viel Geschrei und Krach 1/5

Drums are really good. Kind of interesting going back and forth with the lyric delivery. Kind of long for an album that is fairly similar throughout. 2.5:5 Might listen again

Every time this album comes up on my radar, I’m consistently surprised that it was released in the 90’s. Perhaps that’s just a sign of me getting old, but it definitely feels newer than that. I remember this being the heaviest music anyone had heard in school, which is kinda funny in hindsight. Anyway, the album. I really enjoyed this. It can’t be understated what a fantastic voice Corey Taylor has, and the band sound gritty and raw, which absolutely works in their favour. It’s not the type of metal I generally gravitate to, but I can still definitely appreciate and enjoy this.

Ahhh another album that fell victim to the late 90s/early 2000s loudness wars. I don't really know why all the producers of that time suddenly thought, "you know what would make this album sound really great? If we just pushed all the faders on the console up all the way to make it sound like shit!" This album does belong on this list, it had a massive impact on music for a while. I feel like this was one of the decently heavy albums to actually break through to the mainstream. Everyone heard this record when it came out and, although it's not really innovative, it was new for a lot of people who had never heard heavier music before. I knew a lot of people who got into heavier music that they never would have listened to because of this album. And it's got to be said that the drums on this album (though terrible sounding because of the production) are great and often praised highly, but are perhaps a little too busy. Joey Jordison should get a ton of credit but I feel like he should have backed off just a bit. I'm not really sure how to rate this. I mean the music is good, the lyrics are dumb, it's well played, horribly produced. I hate the silly costume gimmick. And why the hell are there like 6,000 people in this band? I mean a trio or 4 piece sounding like this wouldn't be unexpected, why do they need so many people? Important to a whole generation of people. Probably hated by anyone over the age of 45. And dammit it makes me feel old that this album is 25 years old now. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it isn’t good enough to round up.

Ja, ist hart der Heavy Metal. Kannte die Band nicht aber sie hat durchaus Qualität.

No

I really enjoyed this, but I've never gone out of my way to listen to Slipknot other than Wait and Bleed, which I think is super catchy.

Starting off really poorly. Horror movie cosplay meets NuMetal. Honestly this isn't the worst thing I've heard. I don't like the yelling vocals or the needless record scratching. Hard to know when one screaming NuMetal song ends and the next one begins. Actually, the yelling is better than the singing or Fred-Durst-talking in the songs. These songs are getting worse, Wait and Bleed and Surfacing manage to be very different than each other but equally bad. Tattered & Torn combines the annoying NuMetal talk, yelling, stupid turntable sounds and an annoying, repetitive what I assume is guitar sound but sounds like a creepy sci-fi klaxon. It's hard to listen to fifty minutes of yelling. Scissors incorporates some Einstürzende Neubauten pipe banging which is always a great additional to music. The record scratching feels like they had one friend with no musical talent but always got the best drugs so they had to find something for him to do in the band. Or maybe he was the one with all the clown masks. The lead singer sounds like he's trying to channel Trent Reznor....unsuccessfully. Yes, as Eric Cartman once said, "Fuck, fuckety, fuck, fuck!"

This one was just such a nothing album to me. I enjoyed some of ‘Wait And Bleed’ and remember absolutely nothing else. I kind of liked their other album, but this one was just too Slipknot for me to at all care about.

I might be sick after this album, beause its an hour I won't get back. Brief moments on Spit It Out, but then it went weird. Tattered & Torn, had a sort of interesting dissonance but again it went too far. So beyond the loud noise and screaming, its so repetitive. They just scream the same lines over and over. There is just so much anger and hate in this album, that it feels like a little bit on my inside dies, when I think there are people this angry out there.

This immediately made me want to turn it off. But nevertheless, I persisted. It's violent and ridiculous and I cannot relate to this level of anger and rage. Me no likey.

Slipknot's first album is definitely not their best. The closest word I can use to describe it is "raw" or "unpolished". It's a loud album and they haven't really mastered switching between the melodic parts and the screaming parts which are a lot better on later albums. Their subsequent album also shows a more technical side which Slipknot's debut album lacks. Still it's a fun album to listen to and lays the foundation for great things to come.

Not my cup of tea

Slipknot music is just bad pop music with heavy guitars....

Sounds like middle school. Wait and Bleed and Spit it Out are the best on here. The rest is okay. 3/5

As one half of iconic British duo, Houmous and Chutney, I know a thing or two about making music that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I remember back in 82 when Ray Serrano wrote in Rolling Stone ‘Ken Chutney sure as hell doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He’ll make his music regardless. Perhaps even regardless of what band mate Len Houmous thinks’ 3.3

Yuck!

Screamo isn’t for me, but the drums do go hard in a lot of these tracks, so there’s that at least.

This was the first time I've listened to a full Slipknot album, and I'm glad it came after I've softened my stance on hardcore vocals. I still can't say I love the relentless screaming, but it's not the total disqualifier that it used to be. The drums on here are occasionally incredible, including the first track; that was a great intro to the rest of the album. The style here (a relentless auditory assault) made some of these songs blur together after a while, but I'm not opposed to listening to this album again at some point in the future, so I guess it's *just* good enough to get to 4 stars. I'm interested to see whether they refine things in later albums. 3.5

This would not have been the Slipknot record I would have chosen, but it still do appreciate it. Perhaps Iowa is also an option, we will see.

Kiss for the Monday Night Raw era. While Slipknot is the tiniest bit better than their godfathers – Taylor can actually sing, Jordison’s drumming is technically impressive, and the guitar work is generally decent – the majority of this is nü metal watered down for 12 year olds. It works for a couple songs, mainly at the start, but most of this sounds as edgy and bland as you’d expect. More importantly, most of the songs here sound indistinguishable from each other, and I say that as a metal fan. The best songs are early on, specially “Eyeless,” or not even included on the record now, aka “Purity.” Everything else is the same rhythm, the same groove, the same edgy lyrics, and the same sing-scream-rap flurry of nonsense. All to sound tough. And I say all this as a nü metal defender. Grow up. Give up on Slipknot.

way too much yelling. drums were solid though.

What an album! My only disappointment was not listening to it sooner. It can come off a bit samey, particularly in the vocal category, but I quite enjoy the genre, so it works out. Going with 'Diluted' as my fave from the album.

Ziopera che merda

nope, non ci penso neanche. consiglierei caldamente a tutti i musicisti che si dilettano in questo genere di prenotare una consulenza psicologica, sono sicura che porterebbe più benefici che sbraitare cose non intellegibili in un microfono mentre la band suona cose aggressive e cacofoniche. tutto sommato però, l'ho trovato vagamente più ascoltabile di Reign in Blood, quindi farò appello a tutta la mia magnanimità e regalerò agli Slipknot una stella in più.

I haven't listened to Slipknot since high school and figured this wouldn't hold up and would be a slog sort of like Linkin Park but holy shit was I wrong. The first half of this album goes so hard that it doesn't even matter what's on the second half. This shit rocks. Before you start judging me or the band or the music, just remember that you would be that angry if you had to grow up in Iowa.

who is slipknot

2* for the drums

So good for straight metal.

The sigh I sighed when I saw this had been generated...

En Surfacing, la letra grita Don't ever judge me! Y yo solo podía pensar en el meme del Capitán Kirk gritando "Don't judge meeeee!" Está bien, hasta los más enojados con el mundo merecen tener una banda favorita. Ojalá algún día dejen de estar enojados.

Wow, in the span of nine days, I’ve reviewed Marilyn Manson, Kid Rock, and now Slipknot. Go big, or go home, I guess. I’ve never listened to Slipknot before, but I’m well aware of who they are, especially from a visual standpoint. I’m not expecting to enjoy this very much, but Marilyn Manson surprised me, so there’s always a chance! Well, unfortunately, my prediction was right, and I really didn’t like this album. My reviews are usually a little longer than most peoples’, but I think I can keep this one short and sweet. Every song pretty much sounded the same to me, and it all sounded like a bunch of angry shouting, drowned out by guitars and the occasional turntable or other electronic element. The drumming was really good, but that’s about all this album had to offer in my opinion. I understand the cultural significance of Slipknot, but this wasn’t enjoyable at all.

I always thought there was room in the pantheon for a good Drum and Bass/Metal crossover album. Listening to this, I think I’m wrong. Metal (and its variants) is essentially nihilistic; Drum and Bass is hedonistic. In any case, this album won’t be the one. It’s not a bad album; just, like, predictable, I guess.

Completely terrible and abhorrent album. No top 3 for this as I found its entirety to be insufferable and whiny with no silver linings anywhere.

This mix goes hard. I totally get why this was such a formative album and group for a lot of people. Damn this tight. But yeah it does get old after a few songs. Like too much Mac and Cheese. The first bites are great but then you realize that the plate just keeps going and you can only hate your mom so much.

Solid metal, fun to listen to

I was to harsh on other albums. I gave some generic 80's pop album a 1, but I would rather listen to generic 80's pop for the rest of my life than listen to a slipknot 'song' one more time

Did not enjoy this at all

This album is such a breath of fresh air. Fucking unbeleiveable musicianship and songs. Heavy as fuck, right in your face, RAAAAAAAAAAA I WANT TO PUNCH A BABY IN THE FACE RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Super influential for modern metal - and me. I‘m a bit biased in that case :)

The one blessing about this album is that the songs are short. This album is as horrible as I remember it. Unless I've given up all hope of living and have fully entered the end times of apocalypse, there's just no moment where I would want this. It's like a soundtrack for insanity, death and destruction.

I'm pretty sure this one of those albums used to torture prisoners in Abu Ghraib.

Slipknot's self-titled debut has less of Corey Taylor actually singing than their follow-up, "All Hope is Gone." This one is almost all screaming and growling. The only redeeming thing on the entire album was the drum and bass intro on "Eyeless" - that could actually be an interesting fusion of genres. If we begrudgingly accept a Slipknot album remain on the list, it shouldn't have been this one.

Nu metal is just terrible. To quote one of the very few lyrics I could actually discern through the general growling, "fuck you all."