Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind (2019)

A new Slipknot release is now seen as a spectacle, a chance for every metal head, fan of the band or not, to raise their voices a little higher than usual over their opinions. The Iowa group has certainly reached a level very few bands can reach, and with so many minds working simultaneously in the band, it must be difficult to keep things grounded and not go completely haywire. Well, let us see if the insanity has anything worthwhile to say this time around, or if it is just a jumbled mess of masks, jumpsuits, and artsy stuff.

At first glance, it seems like "We Are Not Your Kind" is your average Slipknot release, a predictable follow up to the uneven ".5: The Gray Chapter". However, unlike its predecessor that had a good initial impact only to fade further away for every subsequent listen, this album is most definitely a grower, where you find new cool little nuggets every time you take that disc for a spin. And while we of course get most of the Slipknot tropes in here, such as heavy grooves, radio friendly choruses, and a lot of anger, there is actually some new bits in here that excites.

One of these things can be found in "Critical Darling", an extremely groovy track that has a great build up to a very melodic chorus, almost like it was stolen from Lacuna Coil, leaving an end product that is one of the better Slipknot songs in some time. "Orphan" is also in that league, taking back the intense speed from the band's early days and add a splash of those marvelous "Vol. 3..." choruses, while the single "Unsainted" is following the Slipknot single formula perfectly, this time adding church choirs to spice things up a bit. The highlights of this album are truly stellar, showcasing a hungry band that is once again pissed off at everyone and everything.

There are still more experimental moments in this album that flexes the band's more atmospheric side. "Spiders" act like it is in a horror movie, creeping up slowly with all of its eight legs, while "My Pain" is more like a somber lullaby sung by Pennywise. We also venture a little into Stone Sour territory again in both "Not Long For This World" and "A Liar's Funeral", which just ends with mixed result, as does the various instrumental interludes that are sprinkled throughout the album. I get that they are trying to create an atmosphere, but I want music man, just get to it already.

Then we have the odd decision of not including the first single "All Out Life" at all in this album, which is a crying shame because that track is one of the most furious tracks the band has done since the "Iowa" days. Speaking in "Spotify Metal Talks", Shawn "Clown" Crahan explains that he wanted the track to be its own entity, and that the fans would still find the song and listen to it regardless if it was in the album or not, ultimately giving way for another song that otherwise would have not made the cut. Fair enough, but I still think this album would have been even better if "All Out Life" was in instead of one of the calmer songs (not to mention that the album title is spawned from this track). By the way, Shawn called "We Are Not Your Kind" a masterpiece roughly 10 times during that whole talk, making hims sound a little pretentious by the end.

So "We Are Not Your Kind" might not ultimately match up with any of the first three Slipknot records, but it definitely beats down "All Hope Is Gone" and ".5: The Gray Chapter" by quite a margin. It still has its problems here and there, but when this album gets going, it gets fucking going, showing that Slipknot still has enough energy in them to rally the maggots into some brutally groovy heavy metal that when it is at its best, it is impossible to resist. Well, this review probably do not matter since most of you who are reading this already have a firm opinion of the band, but if you happen to be open of giving this band another chance, I suggest you do so, and add "All Out Life" into the setlist as well.

Songs worthy of recognition: Critical Darling, Unsainted, Red Flag, Orphan

Rating: 7,5/10 Spiders

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Gojira - From Mars To Sirius (2005)

While the first two Gojira records created buzz, it was not until the third record "From Mars To Sirius" in which the band hit their stride and became real famous within the metal community, taking their craft to a whole new planetary level. It is with this album where Gojira finds that perfect balance of groove, atmosphere, and brutality, fusing together to make a true juggernaut of metal music. Let us do like Pinocchio and get inside the whale to find out what makes this album the pinnacle of Gojira.

So this is a concept record, depicting a race who tries to resurrect a dead ocean planet so it can be habitable again. This obviously has a lot of connections to what we are doing to our world today, an environmental message of what our future might be like if we do not change our way of living. It is kind of a tough subject, because while it is important, it is really easy to be too on the nose, being obnoxiously preachy about it. Fortunately, the French group does weave in their message really neatly into their story, while still being crystal clear over what they are trying to tell us.

To go together with this environmental theme, Gojira serves us with their patented style of complex progressive death metal, but this time it acts like an onion, where you find layer after layer after layer of awesome music. Every instrument helps in the building process of each song, adding some incredible depth that we did not hear in the first two record. It also helps that the production is the best one yet, highlighting each member just as much as they need to really make each track stand out. It is true, clean music poetry.

The biggest improvement from the last record is that "From Mars To Sirius" is just so god damn diverse in its delivery, not only nailing those dark, ultra heavy moments, but also manages to shine in the more ethereal moments like in "Where Dragons Dwell", "Unicorn", and "Flying Whales". It is still the heavier moments that do steal the show. "Backbone" crushes your eardrums before the following track "From The Sky" does a blood chilling scream of the title. Then we have the appropriately named "The Heaviest Matter of The Universe" that technically might not be the heaviest track of the record, but everything here comes together so insanely good that it leaves the heaviest impact on you. Let us also not forget the closer "Global Warming", where Christian Andreu and Joe Duplantier flex all of their finger muscles with this technical guitar lick that is played through most of the songs, which is just under 8 minutes long. Closes off the record in a horrific, yet cool, way.

Really, there is very little to complain about here. Some moments might be dragging on a little too much, and the 1+ hour run time is a bit on the long side, but there is no question that "From Mars To Sirius" is still a masterful record of progressive excellence, taking the listener through a journey of a life time. Gojira finally find their winning formula that they still use to this day. Yes, this album is amazing, and it does not even matter if it does sound like Korn at times even (looking at you "World To Come").

Songs worthy of recognition: From The Sky, Ocean Planet, The Heaviest Mater of The Universe, Flying Whales

Rating: 9/10 Backbones

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twitter.com/GojiraMusic

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