3.3 - It's like the musical equivalent of drinking a shot of Fireball - less challenging and more pleasant than I would expect. Apparently Slipknot falls into the "nu metal" category, which places it in some unsavory company, mostly bands I associate with that Hot Topic store at the mall. As far as metal goes, this to me sounds pretty poppy, and positively radio friendly - the vocals are crystal clear and melodic, there are few time signature changes, the guitar lines are relatively easy to follow. I wasn't listening too closely to the lyrics but it sounds like they're edgy enough. All in all, this sounds like an album suited for a teenage market, and I can understand why the kids like it.