![]() Rather, it is a gentle tweaking of the formula, managing to remain true to the band’s original vibe whilst simultaneously allowing it to become more expansive overall. To this end, although it represents a crossroads for the band, Vol 3 is not a reinvention of the signature sound. The genre was reaching saturation point and everyone was picking a different road to run down. ![]() But the noughties were nearly at their mid-point bands like Three Days Grace, P.O.D., and Papa Roach were bleeding through into the mainstream, and Lamb Of God were laying down a thick and heavy sound to appeal more to nu-metal-infatuated purists. They sold well and they were relatively well received, but they also opened the band up to a slew of criticism that they still battle now. Their first self-titled album launched them and their attention-grabbing image to global prominence, and their sophomore release just added more fuel to the fire- both LPs an angsty whirlwind of choppy, distorted riffs, industrial percussion and ill advised electronic components. ![]() The band were more chaotic, heavier and edgier than their contemporaries the perfect foil to limp bizkit’s faux tough-guy image and Korn’s murky, brooding lonerism. It would not be unfair to call them pioneers of this sound, and although the quality of their music has undeniably lapsed in recent years, their distinctive energy and style has remained largely true to the sound of a bygone era. Although they undoubtedly exploited their own image to sell their music, Slipknot have always been one of the main antiheroes of the nu-metal wave, punching through the scene hardest and loudest. This branding onto the public consciousness has allowed the genre, perhaps not to survive, but to assist certain tropes and stylistics in latching onto other, more popular genres, allowing the distinctive sound to continue spreading to this day. Ask any longtime fan of heavy music, and they will undoubtedly have at least one nu-metal act that they have a soft spot for. It was obnoxious, infectious, and perhaps most tellingly, it was f**king everywhere. It is hard to look back on the moment nu-metal infiltrated the mainstream charts and semi-successfully managed to retain a loyal fanbase for such a long period of time without raising a smile or two. The epidemic was even claiming good bands and bastardising them into obnoxious caricatures of their former selves (shudder at memories of Machine Head’s Burning Red/ Supercharger era). Backpacks held together by safety pins, bike chains and dangly Korn fobs. Everywhere you looked, patches crudely sewn onto hideously baggy jeans. Feel that nu-metal-shaped wave of bile course through your soul. Oh what a time the late 90s/ early 2000s were for heavy music. ![]() Review Summary: Potent and primal: still Slipknot’s crowning achievement ![]()
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