May 25, 2004 - Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)

Two weeks after my last release and almost three years since their last album "Iowa", Slipknot released their third album "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" on May 25, 2004. Slipknot still have that crazy nu-metal energy, but they also show some different faces on this album, including guitar solos, acoustic guitars and Corey Taylor singing a lot more (while of course still screaming plenty). Let's see what the latest from Slipknot has to offer!

The album fittingly starts with "Prelude 3.0" and Craig Jones plays some trippy, distorted keyboards to start us off. Chris Fehn adds a cool light drum beat and one of the guitarists (could be lead Jim Root or rhythm Mick Thomson) plays a light guitar riff and this all combines for an atypical but trippy and interesting opener. Taylor eventually comes in with some quiet singing that is almost talking and after a minute and a half things finally get Louder with the other guitarist coming in and Joey Jordison adding some pretty cool new drums. The preludes for their other albums are both under a minute, but this one is nearly four minutes and by then end Corey is singing loudly as well and the energy has been built up as we move into the next track "The Blister Exists". Thomson plays a stop-and-start guitar riff that is heavy and pretty cool and I love how Slipknot uses their three drummers here as Jordison is playing some great drums on the kit and Fehn and Shawn Crahan are both adding their own percussion. It doesn't sound messy or clashing at all; they expertly complement each other for a pretty sweet metal drumming experience! Sid Wilson adds a touch of turntables for some nu-metal coolness and Root comes in during the verse with some awesome and speedy lead guitar! Taylor blends singing and screaming really nicely in this verse and he starts the chorus screaming awesomely, then proceeds to sing a super catchy rest of the chorus. The music sounds splendidly heavy in the chorus and afterwards Jordison keeps the pace with a cool new drum beat that everyone else starts to nicely build around. Words don't do proper justice to how cool this whole part is, or to how well they segue back to the chorus, there's just so much awesomeness going on! Guitars, bass, drums (so many drums), keyboards, turntables, Taylor screaming in your face, and it's all put together in a great metal package! A pretty awesome first "real" song! Track 3 is "Three Nil" and once again words don't really accurately describe things when there are so many people adding different parts to the mix. Root leads the way with another cool guitar riff that goes from low to high but Slipknot are so good at the rhythm section with all the drums and extra-curriculars that keep things sounding fresh and interesting all the time. The lead guitar sounds phenomenal and is the driving force for sure, but there's some cool keyboards and turntables mixed into the background. Taylor screams for the most part on this whole song, but he does add some singing at all the right moments to make the screams sound even heavier! They stick to the main drag for the most part, but it's a pretty wicked main drag and Jordison really spices up the finish with several awesome drum fills! Up next is the lead of the album's six singles, titled "Duality", and it's definitely become one of their most iconic songs. Taylor sings quietly at first and he sounds pretty epic overtop some creepy piano, then things shift into loud and typical, build and build, then culminate with a simple but super hard-hitting and awesome riff! Then they quickly shift to a new riff for the verse with Root and Thomson both playing some fast and cool guitars and Taylor singing very quickly overtop. Everything sounds upbeat and pretty sweet and it moves smoothly into a loud and catchy chorus with Taylor singing nicely overtop some very loud guitars. Taylor sounds phenomenal screaming "I'm not gonna make it!" and this song is somehow a great choice for a single with it's catchiness, but also still very much a Slipknot song with it's relentless heaviness. Expertly done guys! Track 5 is "Opium Of The People" and there's some pretty sweet high guitar from one guitarist and some great low and heavy stuff from the other guitarist for a great mix. Taylor sounds great screaming overtop and it's hard not to headbang along to this pretty cool main riff. The chorus is a little slower with Taylor switching to singing, but it's still pretty solid and it just makes the return to the crazy main riff hit even harder. They stick to the main drag, but as is the norm with Slipknot, you don't mind at all when it's such a sweet main drag! Up next is "Circle" and for the first time ever on a Slipknot album, we hear acoustic guitars! This song is clearly not your typical Slipknot song, but the mood is dark and lightly epic as Paul Gray plays some cool bass to back the acoustic driving riff. Taylor sings in a slow, high voice to nicely match the mood and there's even some viola that adds an extra dark and creepy layer to things! This is unlike any other Slipknot tune so far and while it's definitely not one of their best headbangers I think they did a really good job at nailing the vibe they were going for. Track 7 is "Welcome" and we're back to to a typical(ly awesome) Slipknot riff that is stop-and-start with a great mix of guitars, bass and all kinds of drums. It continues to be so impressive that these 9 guys can all get on the same erratic and offbeat page to make really cool riffs like this one. Taylor screams for most of this song and he sounds epic and awesome overtop the really cool music and the heaviness doesn't subside in the chorus as they continue to quickly pound out some great stuff. After the next round we're treated to a guitar solo, another rarity for Slipknot, but Jim Root fucking annihilates it with an extremely fantastic shredding solo! They move right into a super speedy new part with Taylor singing but still sounding great, then they wrap it up nicely with a final chorus. This song was Relentless the whole way through! The next track was another big single titled "Vermilion" and it's driven by a solid main riff that isn't quite as heavy as normal but it's solidly catchy and Taylor sings the verse in a super low voice that sounds pretty epic! He holds a couple great long screams to epic effect, but most of this song is purposefully calmer and more radio-friendly, but still expertly done! The band really nicely blends heaviness, creepiness and somehow also smooth and catchy in this no-brainer of a single and Root even has another guitar solo for us! Everything sounds super epic and words are falling short yet again; even when Slipknkt experiment a bit, they still sound really good! The end leads right into track 9 "Pulse Of The Maggots" and a loud, long siren (like an incoming nuclear attack or something) blades while Taylor shouts in what sounds like the beginning of an uprising! They segue superbly into the main riff and it might be the catchiest one on the album with with some great guitar, drums and cool turntables that combine for such a cool main riff! Taylor alternates screaming and singing in the verse and chorus and all of it sounds great, but especially those long screams! Root and Thomson both solo on this one in a great Slayer-esque guitar battle and Mick is pretty awesome as well, but Root is something else man, he can shred! This song is just mayhem and it's one of my favourites off the album for sure, and it's a pretty high bar! Awesome song! The next three songs were all singles, starting with the very succesful "Before I Forget". It's driven by a fairly simple but cool and heavy guitar riff and Taylor sounds great alternating some long-held screams with bits of faster singing. They segue smoothly into the hard-hitting and catchy chorus with some more great guitars and Taylor sings most of this catchy chorus, but screams the name of the song a couple times and everything sounds pretty sweet! After another heavy and solid round they do another nice segue into a slower, trippier riff with both Root and Thomson playing some cool guitars and Taylor sings a slower new verse to nicely match the mood. They nicely ramp back up for a final chorus before heavily and nicely closing things out. An undeniably solid single that is still a pretty heavy and sweet song! Track 11 is "Vermilion Pt. 2" and it's another acoustic-driven song that is much lighter than your usual Slipknot, but things sound pretty epic with just acoustic guitars and Taylor singing. Eventually they reach a chorus that has the same lyrics as the first part of "Vermilion", but it's an interesting contrast with this version being not at all heavy and it even has a small strings section with some violin adding an extra layer of epicness to things! This is obviously not a headbanger, but there are plenty of those on this album and this soft song is expertly done and a no-brainer of a single. The next track is "The Nameless" and it's got some trippy and cool turntables by Wilson, some fast stop-and-start guitars and a very high-energy and awesome main riff! Lots of fast and cool drumming and some super distorted and wicked lead guitar by Root! Taylor sounds great as well belting out a super heavy verse, then things drastically shift to an acoustic and super quiet chorus! It comes absolutely out of nowhere and really takes the air out of things, but I think that's what they were going for! Taylor sings soft and high to match this sudden new mood and it makes the following round sound even heavier of course! After said round they move to a new heavy riff with Taylor belting out his soul at full volume, then we finally get a more typical version of the soft chorus with some loud guitars and screaming. They combine the two styles very nicely in this final chorus and Slipknot are definitely reaching a wider audience with breaks from their typical heaviness, but they're doing a great job of making these atypical parts work! Track 13 is "The Virus Of Life" and it mixes psychedelia with the dark and twisted Slipknot style! Crahan and Fehn are having fun playing some trippy percussion and Thomson plays a cool and super trippy rhythm guitar riff to keep the strange pace. Next Gray comes in with some super low bass and Taylor sings a quiet and creepy verse that matches the mood nicely. Jordison finally joins in on the drum kit and Jones adds some trippy keyboards, then Root completed things with some pretty sweet lead guitar! Hearing all nine members combine for a psychedelic and cool main riff is pretty awesome and while the pace is definitely slower than we're used to there's still plenty of heaviness! The chorus has some great heavy screaming and a wonderful drop-off back to the creepy main riff. I really like this dark and creepy song as Slipknot continue to show that expanding out of their comfort zone doesn't have to be a bad thing! The final song on the album is "Danger - Keep Away" and the experimentation continues as this closer is very quiet and driven by piano! Jones plays a decent little piano riff that is the backbone of this song and we hear lots of guitar static and some soft singing overtop. It's easily the worst song on the album and a disappointing way to finish things off, but it's not enough to spoil things for me.

That is the end of "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" and I thought it was another fantastic album by Slipknot! They experiment way more on this album and for the large majority it is a fresh change while still maintaining that classic crazy Slipknot sound. Their last album "Iowa" was also really good, and definitely heavier overall, but I actually like this new album a little better. I don't think it approaches their amazing self-titled debut, but all three of their albums are pretty awesome! Looking forward to more Slipknot in the future!