Diamonds in the Rough
(WARNING) - The review for this album may include language or themes some may find distressing or disturbing.
Artist: Slipknot
Album: All Hope is Gone
Year: 2008
Band Lineup for Album: Sid Wilson - DJ/Samples, Joey Jordison - Drums, Paul Gray - Bass, Chris Fehn - Percussion, Jim Root - Guitar, Craig Jones - Samples, Shawn Crahan - Percussion, Mick Thomson - Guitar, Corey Taylor - Vocals
After the success of Vol. 3 and its touring cycle, the band prepared to begin its recording of the fourth studio album. It was the first album to be recorded in their home state of Iowa, which was originally touted by the band as better for their mindsets. Turns out being able to go home every day after recording feels nice. Now, however, the band has repeatedly stated this as their least favorite album, and after listening to it I can definitely understand why. It was the first album that couldn't get all nine members in a room at the same time to record, which hurts the uniformity of the group. Funny story, the band got the name for the album from the abandoned school they were doing a photoshoot in, when one of the dilapidated archways bore the phrase "All Hope Is Gone" above it. You can actually see it in the beginning of the Psychosocial video, which I included below.
It's also important to note that this would be the last album for bassist Paul Gray and drummer Joey Jordison. Gray would pass away in 2010 from an accidental overdose, and Jordison left the band in 2013, originally claiming he was fired but later revealed a neurological disease that cost him his drumming ability. Jordison would unfortunately pass away in 2021 during his sleep, the cause has still not been revealed.
This was the first album that released after I became a fan of the band. I remember making my mother drive me to Target to pick up the album, and would've done any chores to make up for the cost of it. At the time I enjoyed it, since it was new music from my favorite band. Now, after taking a bit more of a critical listen, I can tell its more of a flawed album and where the band feels more focused. Knowing that, let's go ahead and dive into it track by track.
Starting off we have the intro song .execute., which compared to the last few albums is not their most interesting intro. Heavily distorted speech and some instrumentation doesn't create a good intro. However, it does lead directly into the first song on the album, Gematria (The Killing Name). A fantastic batch of opening riffs leads us into Corey's lyrical condemnation of the American People. It's incredibly layered lyrics and heavy tone reminds us of earlier work in their career. However, as much as it is a fun listen the first time around, by the time the album ends, it only barely stands above the other less than memorable songs on the album. And boy oh boy, does it get better from here. Sulfur is next on the track list. It's a live favorite and for a reason. The song is amazing from start to finish, a great groove takes us all the way through with fantastic percussion from Clown and Fehn. The lyrics seem to be surprisingly positive, since Corey was at his best during this time. Including themes about being happy with oneself through the flaws. The samples rock, the instruments rock, the whole damn thing rocks. Next is the song used in memes because it seems to be able to pair up with anything, and that's Psychosocial. Aside from the memes, this is another one of Slipknot's best songs. It's heavy, melodic, and super fun, with even metal-haters enjoying it from time to time. Corey's vocals really come through here, and it contains some of Jim and Mick's best guitar work yet. But let's talk about that breakdown. Holy. Shit. It's literally one of the heaviest things Slipknot has ever done, and it hits like a metric ton of bricks TWICE. Damn it's so good.
Next up is Dead Memories, which is perhaps one of the most radio-friendly songs the band has ever made. Taking its cues more from rock classics, the song remains a more emotional piece full of some incredible performances from everyone in the band. Corey had written it about the last ten years of his life at that point, and it ends up being very personal, yet so relatable. But, as good as the album has been so far, given the title of this review, it has to take a dive somewhere. I'm going to speed round it through the next five songs, since I don't really want to repeat myself. They're all filler, not necessarily bad songs per say, just boring and unnecessary. Vendetta starts out like traditional death metal, and contains some personal stuff from Corey, but slowly fades into a boring filler song. Butcher's Hook has an interesting lyrical dig at the music industry and those that have the audacity to criticize the band for wearing out fits when they themselves have no individuality. Too bad it's not interesting past that. Gehenna is yet another song dealing with obsession and learning to be yourself, yet they can't seem to capitalize and create a fun song. This Cold Black follows that up with yet anther bland, tired song about general anger. I'd say it's my least favorite song on the album. Rounding up the filler is Wherein Lies Continue, about a condemnation of any society that props up liars as leaders, but takes the premise and puts it into a meandering filler piece that is instantly forgotten.
After those pieces of filler, we come to by far the single most emotional song that Slipknot has ever written, Snuff. Easily in their 10 best songs of all time, Snuff is an emotional powerhouse that really hits home. Written after someone very close to Corey betrayed him, it's about he pain he felt at this time, and it's very easy to relate to. Corey sings his heart out, and the acoustic guitar is a perfect touch. This is one of those songs you could give to anyone and they couldn't tell it's Slipknot, but those of us who know will always keep that in mind. Following that is All Hope is Gone, the final song on the album. It's a bit hypocritical, since it talks about all hope being absent, but gives us hope for the band. Corey has admitted that the title isn't so much about hope for society or anything, but about all hope being gone when it comes to understanding the band. It has an awesome chorus with some of their heaviest instrumentation, but the lyrics don't really seem to add up in the verses or bridges. It's a great song, but not easily makes the top five because of the rest of the album.
The last two songs are bonuses from the deluxe edition of the album. First up is Child of Burning Time. Even though it features interesting vocals from Corey, it just feels devoid of anything that makes Slipknot songs fun. It's yet ANOTHER forgettable bonus song, but luckily I don't include bonus songs in the album's score. However, the second track, 'Til We Die, is a change to the stigma that their bonus songs aren't good. It's the most experimental song yet from the band, and it really works. There's a reason why it was used as the closing song after every concert, because it has a great message to the fans that the band will never stop, even death can't stop them, which would unfortunately become true.
I don't want to be mistaken here, but the album isn't bad. The filler songs, while being filler, are still fine. They just don't change the mold for me. The album is by far the weakest as a whole in the discography, but it still gave us some of the best songs of the band's career. You can really tell that the recording and writing process was different here, and that it clearly affected the band. I still have a soft spot for the album given my history with it, but I do have to be critical of the things I love.
Best Songs: Sulfur, Psychosocial, Dead Memories, Snuff
OVERALL SCORE: 68/100
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