Pure Aggression: Inside Slipknot’s Debut Album
From the moment Slipknot was formed they made one thing brutally clear, this is music designed to have a feeling and raw emotion with it. With nine members and nothing to lose, the band has no interest in introducing listeners to their sound or giving them fair warning; they simply launch into the music like a riot is already in full swing. Each song sounds like it's about to fall apart at the seams, with multiple percussion tracks crashing together in disarray and screams trying their best to break free of the music itself. Heavy music was becoming more and more mainstream at the time, but Slipknot had no interest in making their music accessible; they were determined to make something uglier, louder, and more insane than anyone could possibly be prepared for.
742617000027- This is just an intro to the album, it consists of the same repeating loop “The whole thing i think is sick” It creates tension and nervousness. It's about 30 seconds which feels like a while with the same loop but is perfect for the intro of the next song.
(Sic)- It starts off intense and out of nowhere especially with the intro, it's raw and it's simple. No overdone effects or smoothing it over. It’s angry and gets you excited, the switch to the one guitar is a huge drop right before the screaming comes in. It’s fast and powerful, the drop to the calm talking right before the right back to yelling with a slow groove on the same rhythm of the guitars. It adds depth and layering, and is a great start to the album.
Eyeless- The guitar solo with the drum fills on it is an amazing build up, the drumming is amazing at fitting into the pocket and playing a simple part when needed and letting loose when he can. The switch with the vocals is hard to pull off going back and forth, it's a very fast and intense song. It has a lot of moving parts and they make it work flawlessly. The breakdown is great without losing all the emotions that were built up in the beginning, into the call back riff from the beginning. Adding the breakdown back at the very end slower gives it that anger and emotion it needs.
Wait and Bleed- The intro feels like the calmness before the storm, a smooth taking with a soft but powerful guitar in the background. It kicks into gear with the rest of the band, it switches to screaming in the verses and is intense which is what they wanted. It mixes anger with calmness, switching back and forth. At the end of the song it feels as if the song finally broke as if it was built up rage. Adding screaming into the chorus adds the intensity from the verses.
Surfacing- The intro is a perfect fit for the song with each part coming in one at a time while getting more intense each time. It’s an extremely fast song and has a lot of moving parts all at once. It talks about the hate of the world and how people will always find something to tear you down with. The groove switches every now and then perfectly changes the song in just the right amount. It perfectly catches the feeling that they were going for, it has the same intensity in the guitars just how it does in the vocals. It gives the same energy and doesn't waste any of it.
Spit It Out- This is one of the best songs on the album, the intro alone is a feeling with the dj in the background and the vocals singing on top of it. The drums come in and when it starts moving it doesn’t feel like it's gonna stop. The beat change in the second verse gives it exactly what it needs to not feel repetitive and stale. When the original groove comes, it makes it feel 10x bigger just because of the change alone. The build up into the bridge is perfect as well, you know its coming but you feel it starting to get the ball rolling.
Tattered & Torn- It is completely different from any of the other songs but keeps that same anger. They’re not going for speed here, they're going for discomfort and that is exactly what they do. The lyrics match the feeling that the instruments make you feel. This song uses sub bass in the bridge which makes it feel heavier than any other part of the song. It adds that depth and makes it hit harder to the listener.
Me Inside- This song throws you right into the middle of it, it starts off intense and once it does it doesn't stop. Each verse adds more into the background making it feel bigger each time. When he starts singing it is the perfect switch, the vocals are amazing being able to switch like he does so often. This song shows off the different tones he can do and he uses all of them here.
Liberate- During the intro right before the vocals come in the dj adds that turn table effect which fits so well with the song. The vocals come in huge and keep that energy, the verse has that same type of energy with big guitar parts even with the different singing style. The transition into the chorus flows so well with the song. Before the bridge it builds up and it doesn't just lead to nowhere. It keeps the energy it built up by slowing it down but keeping the same groove, it makes it feel so much heavier by doing that.
Prosthetics- The intro is creepy and gives a feeling of uncertainness, it gives that sense of distance from the rest of the band to the listener. Not a lot is going on during the verses but it keeps that feeling and emotion. Right when the chorus comes in you feel what they were building up to, it has that anger and discomfort that they’ve been leading into. When it speeds up to “I Knew it was a mistake” it has speed and energy. During the middle of the song, the bridge into the breakdown fits perfectly. Then right after back into the chorus fit so well, as if it was the missing piece to the puzzle.
No Life- The dissonance they added to guitar in the intro with the hits from the percussionist is perfect. The drum fill into the main riff leads into it so well, the huge chorus is exactly what the song needed. I'm not saying the chorus is bigger than the verses but the energy they have with it is huge. The bridge is a good switch from the high intensity that the rest of the song has had. It gives a calmer feeling and a calmer beat to it, the vocals are calmer and a switch from the screaming that he's done the rest of the song. It transitions right back into the intense verse, it builds the energy right back and keeps it there for the rest of the song.
Diluted- The song has a dense layered use of the band that creates uneasiness in the song. The guitars have a thick sludgy tone and is a lot slower compared to any other song in the album. The riffs feel almost suffocating instead of up in your face, and the bass adds a lot of weight to the song that helps get that unsettling feeling across. The drummer, who's known for his fast rapid burst, kept a more heavy rhythmical feel in this song going for heavy hitting. To add on the dj of the band uses small samples and ambient noises to also add to the uneasiness.
Only One- This song is full of energy and shows the start of their craziness to come, it blends rap with metal almost simultaneously which is essential for the slipknot sound. The guitars are more of just background effects here adding to the depth of the song. The groove from the drums is intense and pushes the song forward. As with all the songs from this album the pure raw aggression, the singer switching back and forth with vocal tone is essential to the song. The dj uses certain samples which makes the song sound messy but he makes it work with the groove. This song uses a lot of more experimental elements which makes it feel uncontrolled but keeps the groove steady.
Scissors- It’s one of the longest songs on the album, the music fluctuates between eerie silences and sudden explosions, resulting in a highly chaotic environment that corresponds to ideas such as internal conflict, self-destruction, and madness. The vocal part performed by Corey Taylor is rather disturbing, and it sounds improvised since it becomes more powerful as the song goes on. This song does not have much in common with other organized pieces of music because there is an element of chaos in it.
Eyeore- The track starts unexpectedly following an implied period of silence, with the listener immediately thrown into an onslaught of rapid drum beats, aggressive guitar riffs, and gutturally roared vocals by Corey Taylor. Musically, the track expresses a variety of sentiments including anger, defiance, and frustration; in essence, encapsulating all the elements that characterized the band during their formative years when playing nu-metal. I love the guitar tones they use for this song and just how raw they are. It fits perfectly with the music and energy of the song.
Favorite- Surfacing
Least favorite- Scissors
