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Slipknot - .5: The Gray Chapter



7.3 | 456 votes |
Release date: 21 October 2014
Style: Alternative metal

Owners:

282 have it
30 want it


01. XIX
02. Sarcastrophe
03. AOV
04. The Devil In I
05. Killpop
06. Skeptic
07. Lech
08. Goodbye
09. Nomadic
10. The One That Kills The Least
11. Custer
12. Be Prepared For Hell
13. The Negative One
14. If Rain Is What You Want
15. Override [bonus]
16. The Burden [bonus]

Staff review by
ScreamingSteelUS
Rating:
8.2
Last time Slipknot released a studio album, they still served as one of my primary conduits to the metal scene. As I am no longer 14, Slipknot's angst-and-unorthodox-percussion-heavy brand of nu/alt metal lacks the same gravitas it once had, but I still enjoy Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses and Slipknot from time to time. You might call me a bit of a lapsed fan, but I'm enough of one to give .5: The Gray Chapter a fighting chance.

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published 22.10.2014 | Comments (12)

Guest review by
flightoficarus
Rating:
3.0
Let me preface this saying that I am a fan. Slipknot was the first metal album I listened to all the way through. I owe much of my progression into metal music to them, and I still listen to Slipknot and Iowa regularly.

The album opens with an interesting synth intro. It is very atmospheric. I'm immediately worried as I begin thinking about The Subliminal Verses instead of the throwbacks I had been told that this hearkened to. Corey comes in alone and raw. I have mixed feelings at first about his approach, but it grows on me and sucks me in. Unfortunately this is about as personal as Corey will sound for the remainder of the album. I once again realize that never again will we have another "742617000027" or "(515)".

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published 16.11.2014 | Comments (25)

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Comments: 69   Visited by: 1085 users
22.10.2014 - 18:38
I thoroughly enjoy this record, honestly, and think it's right up there with the rest of the band's catalog. I know Slipknot tends to get a lot of flack from metalheads for reasons beyond my appreciation but The Gray Chapter here is just an immensely dense album chockfull of feeling and darkness. If you appreciate music that is heavy and emotive then it's likely that you will find more than a couple things to appreciate on this one.
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23.10.2014 - 00:41
Rating: 8
Sword_Chant
It's probably Slipknot's best album. So far i've only listened to this once, but from what I gathered their sound has matured a lot and musically it's their most interesting release. Not the very best i've heard from this year but overall a good return to form, and is one of the best alternative metal albums to come from 2014.
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23.10.2014 - 07:26
Lit.
Account deleted
First listen: Pretty impressed.
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23.10.2014 - 09:32
Rating: 8
Sword_Chant
Written by deadone on 23.10.2014 at 01:20

Written by Sword_Chant on 23.10.2014 at 00:41

It's probably Slipknot's best album. So far i've only listened to this once, but from what I gathered their sound has matured a lot and musically it's their most interesting release. Not the very best i've heard from this year but overall a good return to form, and is one of the best alternative metal albums to come from 2014.



What a confusing post especially the bit that it's their best album after 1 listen!


What I meant was that in comparison to hearing all the other albums from their discography for the very first time, this album has left the best impression on me. I've given the album another listen since then and I still think this is their most interesting release.
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24.10.2014 - 12:00
Rating: 8
Illuminate
Nomadic brings me right back to the Iowa days.
One another note, with Joey gone this dude drumming in his place blows my fuckin mind. If it's Jay of Against Me! Then I bow my head to him, his skill in this album is showcased big time. I also feel Corey taylor has ruined Slipknot and Stone Sour in the wake of firing both Jim and Joey in both bands. The dude seems to think he is the rimg leader in Slipknot.
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24.10.2014 - 15:20
Rating: 7
schlakt
Written by Illuminate on 24.10.2014 at 12:00

Nomadic brings me right back to the Iowa days.
One another note, with Joey gone this dude drumming in his place blows my fuckin mind. If it's Jay of Against Me! Then I bow my head to him, his skill in this album is showcased big time. I also feel Corey taylor has ruined Slipknot and Stone Sour in the wake of firing both Jim and Joey in both bands. The dude seems to think he is the rimg leader in Slipknot.


http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2014-10-20/taylor-says-some-fans-hate-him-but-he-s-not-the-boss
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25.10.2014 - 05:44
Rating: 8
Illuminate
I already read the statment from him. There isnt anything in the last little bit I havent missed from Slipknot.
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28.10.2014 - 19:33
Rating: 9
The Rabbit
I've been on the fence about Slipknot. I guess you can say the fans/haters made me keep away. But honestly, this is a pretty good album from what I've heard. Might be their best album YET.
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29.10.2014 - 05:11
Dedcalm
Account deleted
Im not very impressed but its not bad. Better than Iowa.
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30.10.2014 - 02:20
Rating: 6
musicalkaratekid
This is a good album, but it seems to me that Slipknot are trying way too hard to get back to their early days. That's not such a bad thing, but I think they are better suited to progressive/experimental musical environments (NOTE: I am NOT calling them progressive metal), where the band go out of their comfort zone. They achieve that here to a certain degree, but what really annoys me is how the metal parts don't often seem to get a chance to shine on their own, instead being infiltrated by electronic/industrial elements which make songs like "AOV" and "The Devil in I" slightly less bearable. I can pretty much guarantee people are going to disagree with me on this, but in my opinion this is Slipknot's least great album. Mind you, "Goodbye", "Nomadic" and "Be prepared for Hell" are by far the most outstanding songs from this album.
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04.11.2014 - 19:33
Rating: 8
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
Absolutely amazing.

This one is far better than "All Hope is Gone" from all its sides. With each and every track dropping it from XIX, it has swallowed me in with suprises thrown in by Corey troops. It is my 7th or 8th spin and honestly, i fucking enjoyed it. Heavy as fuck, great production, thick bass and monstrous drumming which catapulted this record over last two("AHIG" and "Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses") records easily. This could be exaggeration for many of you and I understand but my post has come across after thorough listen to this much awaited release. It could be my second favorite release after "Slipknot". Feelings and enjoyment are strong.

What a comeback. Heavy as fuck Slipknot are back. Woo-hoo!.
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04.11.2014 - 21:54
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Hmm I don't think sounds even remotely like they're trying to go back to their early days. If the album was filled with songs like The Negative One then I would agree.

The only songs I can say I dislike are XIX, because it sounds like a bad Depeche Mode song, and Goodbye, because it's cheesy as fuck. The rest range from decent to good. Even Killpop was quite enjoyable. Definitely better than the previous album.
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08.11.2014 - 14:28
Rating: 7
Passinger
Dissapointment!!!

There is no melody, continuity in any song. I am missing the first, second and third albüm.

Slipknot must be hard with exhilirated tempo.
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12.11.2014 - 14:03
Rating: 6
Ilham
Giant robot
We can all at least agree this is a step up compared to All Hope Is Gone. It's seriously too long though.
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15.11.2014 - 20:06
Rating: 8
Saidar
This does feel like a grown-up (?) version of the band in a way. Some really nice stuff and the overall atmosphere suits my current mood, personally. And I haven't listened to them in ages, it's beautiful to hear that powerful voice of his. The bands finest asset, he's still as amazing as ever.
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16.11.2014 - 18:32
Lit.
Account deleted
^Meme without accompanying text? Get to deleting, mods.
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17.11.2014 - 06:33
Rating: 4
ke ke
When alternative metal is metal mixed with rock,It can be good but hip-hop metal doesn't really work.Some sites like metal-archives.com don't even consider slipknot as a metal band and it's reasonable cause slipknot is an alternative hip-hop band with few alt metal songs.
But it doesn't mean I want MS to delete slipknot cause we have tool,soad,Led Zeppelin,... here.what I want is not to be creative and add snoop dog or iggy azalea please!
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17.11.2014 - 08:45
Rating: 8
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
Written by ke ke on 17.11.2014 at 06:33

it's reasonable cause slipknot is an alternative hip-hop band with few alt metal songs


Fucking bullshit.

Slipknot is metal band and if you aren't aware of their records, go and fucking listen to them. Yes, they might have an alternative songs but calling them alternative hip hop is just plain fucking turd. I think you haven't listen to any album properly or you might have heard from pre-20 walking fucktards saying "Slipknot are hip hop and fag". They're full grown metal band.
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17.11.2014 - 10:38
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by ke ke on 17.11.2014 at 06:33

When alternative metal is metal mixed with rock,It can be good but hip-hop metal doesn't really work.Some sites like metal-archives.com don't even consider slipknot as a metal band and it's reasonable cause slipknot is an alternative hip-hop band with few alt metal songs.
But it doesn't mean I want MS to delete slipknot cause we have tool,soad,Led Zeppelin,... here.what I want is not to be creative and add snoop dog or iggy azalea please!




Despite my angry friend's attack above, yours is definitely amongst the worst analyses of anything I've ever seen on this site.

Learn to Hip-Hop
Stop using Metal Archives in any kind of cogent argument
? ? ? ?
Profit
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18.11.2014 - 07:54
Rating: 4
ke ke
Written by Cynic Metalhead on 17.11.2014 at 08:45

Written by ke ke on 17.11.2014 at 06:33

it's reasonable cause slipknot is an alternative hip-hop band with few alt metal songs


Fucking bullshit.

Slipknot is metal band and if you aren't aware of their records, go and fucking listen to them. Yes, they might have an alternative songs but calling them alternative hip hop is just plain fucking turd. I think you haven't listen to any album properly or you might have heard from pre-20 walking fucktards saying "Slipknot are hip hop and fag". They're full grown metal band.

I don't fucking care about you but just for saving the world from idiocy I'll teach you something:slipknot is a Mallcore(=nu-metal) band.Search the web for the term "mallcore" and find just one site consider mallcore as a metal sub-genre.You know why they call it "mall"-core? "because it is supposedly enjoyed by teenage goths who congregate in shopping malls"(from dictionary.com).So if you love Slipknot,you're a teenage goth...fuck!...forget about searching the web,go to a shopping mall and kill yourself!(don't waste bullet,do it with kitchen knife)
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18.11.2014 - 08:32
Risto
Wandering Midget
That guy is a troll, get him out of here.
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18.11.2014 - 08:44
Lit.
Account deleted
Written by ke ke on 18.11.2014 at 07:54

blahblahblah

I think the fact that you think mallcore is still a legitimate genre term says enough about you and your opinions.
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18.11.2014 - 12:19
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by ke ke on 18.11.2014 at 07:54

I'll learn you something

*teach you something.

You are a colossal pudding-brain and no mistake.
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18.11.2014 - 12:31
raveneffect
Jesus Christ what the fuck did I just read
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18.11.2014 - 14:57
Slayer666
Not sold on this at all. Other than "Custer", "Skeptic" and "Killpop" the whole album just kinda flew over my head. 10 minutes after I've first heard it, I had trouble remembering pretty much anything on it other than the 3 mentioned tracks. It just sounds bland and generic as hell.
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19.11.2014 - 08:22
Rating: 4
ke ke
Sorry about that grammatical mistake.
But your reaction to someone who's just not agree with you, surprised me.I said slipknot is not metal and what was your fucking reaction?"bullshit","troll","your post gave me ebola",... OK I'm jackass,but what about the subject of my post?If you know something more than me you can say it,I'll learn it from you otherwise shut the fuck up!
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19.11.2014 - 09:28
Darth Satanious
Post Destroyer
Written by Illuminate on 24.10.2014 at 12:00

I also feel Corey taylor has ruined Slipknot and Stone Sour in the wake of firing both Jim and Joey in both bands. The dude seems to think he is the rimg leader in Slipknot.


We still don't know who got Joey out of Slipknot but the thing about Jim being kicked out of Stone Sour, well, Jim himself said that there was no problems with Corey whatsoever. He said something about the guys at Stone Sour wanting to make more radio-friendly music, it seems it was a situation similar to that of Jesper of In Flames. Maybe there's more to this Stone Sour drama and Jim is spinning things in order not to look bad or to conceal info, who knows? But I do have the feeling that this wasn't Corey's doing.

Corey himself has said that people tend to attribute to him more power than what he actually has over his bands.

For Joey's departure, we only have the statement from Corey about both everyone in Slipknot and Joey getting into a split road and feeling that Joey wanting to take a different turn to what the rest of the band wanted. Maybe with time these guys will finally talk and we get to understand what really happened.
----
Christless
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20.11.2014 - 16:06
Slayer666
Written by ke ke on 19.11.2014 at 08:22

But your reaction to someone who's just not agree with you, surprised me.I said slipknot is not metal and what was your fucking reaction?"bullshit","troll","your post gave me ebola",...


And what other reaction were you hoping for? Regardless of whether you're like it or not, Slipknot are metal. To claim otherwise is to prove how completely ignorant you are.

Although, I've no idea why I'm wasting my time posting this when you're either a troll or too dense to comprehend simple facts.
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28.11.2014 - 00:43
HyperDrifter
Written by ke ke on 18.11.2014 at 07:54

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 17.11.2014 at 08:45

Written by ke ke on 17.11.2014 at 06:33

it's reasonable cause slipknot is an alternative hip-hop band with few alt metal songs


Fucking bullshit.

Slipknot is metal band and if you aren't aware of their records, go and fucking listen to them. Yes, they might have an alternative songs but calling them alternative hip hop is just plain fucking turd. I think you haven't listen to any album properly or you might have heard from pre-20 walking fucktards saying "Slipknot are hip hop and fag". They're full grown metal band.

I don't fucking care about you but just for saving the world from idiocy I'll teach you something:slipknot is a Mallcore(=nu-metal) band.Search the web for the term "mallcore" and find just one site consider mallcore as a metal sub-genre.You know why they call it "mall"-core? "because it is supposedly enjoyed by teenage goths who congregate in shopping malls"(from dictionary.com).So if you love Slipknot,you're a teenage goth...fuck!...forget about searching the web,go to a shopping mall and kill yourself!(don't waste bullet,do it with kitchen knife)


That's a bit extreme just because you disagree...
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25.12.2014 - 10:47
Hex_Omega
Gem Seeker
Written by ke ke on 18.11.2014 at 07:54

I'll teach you something:slipknot is a Mallcore(=nu-metal) band.

Nope, Slipknot is playing Thrash Neo http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/groupe-groupe-Slipknot_%28USA*1%29-l-en.html
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