Back in mid-May of this year, vocalist Corey Taylor made a statement that made the maggots even more excited for We Are Not Your Kind , an album that would be released a few months later. In gratitude for the support of the track "Unsainted," Taylor tweeted the following: "The new album has Iowa ," referring to Slipknot . Iowa , for those who don't know, is one of the most celebrated metal albums of the decade.
Then guitarist Jim Root threw cold water on the idea , saying, "I wouldn't compare [the two albums] in a million years." He argued that the band is different and the sound is too. But, ultimately, We Are Not Your Kind comparable to Iowa , Slipknot's magnum opus?
If the comparison is based on audience success, then it becomes entirely justified and accurate. WANYK dethroned Ed Sheeran and reached the number one spot on the British Official Charts. This hadn't happened since, believe it or not, the release of Iowa in 2001.
In terms of sound, things seem to change a little. On first listen, all the experimentalism of the new album distances the band from their work at the beginning of the decade. To begin with, WANYK has three introductory tracks, one for each "part" of the album. In addition, Slipknot's melodic side is much more present here, with true ballads.
The closest thing to a ballad in Iowa was “Left Behind,” nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance, with some clean vocals and a slightly more radio-friendly feel. The track even has ramifications in “A Liar's Funeral,” from the new album, for example.
But, upon closer analysis, there are indeed other similarities. The first album, self-titled, was much more rooted in nu-metal. It was only on the band's second album that other influences became more apparent. Jim Root and second guitarist Mick Thomson were much more connected to thrash and death metal. The 2019 release explores these influences very well.
The opening riff of “Red Flag,” for example, is very reminiscent of the new Metallica album , Hardwired… to Self-Destruct . The guitars in “Critical Darling” have a touch of Anthrax . The somewhat hip-hop vocals in that track can also be compared to “I Am Hated,” from their old hit. Both are heavily influenced by rap.
Iowa is, in essence, an angry album about depravity and misery. Percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan even said he cursed anyone who asked for a new album like that. “We almost all died making that record. It was so much fun! We all almost died,” he explained in an interview.
The entire recording of the album was done in an atmosphere of misery and destruction. The musicians were exhausted from touring their first album and still weren't earning enough money to support themselves. Many of them, including Corey Taylor, turned to drugs as a way to cope with psychological problems.
“I only remember a lot of darkness and anger,” Taylor commented about that time. “I would cut myself while we were recording and bleed everywhere. Then I would get sick and vomit. I just wanted to feel something.” The vocalist had just come out of a toxic relationship and was going through one of the most difficult periods of his depression.
And at this point, the two albums are very similar: in how difficult times created some of the most misanthropic and negative lyrics of their career. We Are Not Your Kind was made while the band was still dealing with the death of Paul Gray , the departure of Joey Jordison , and the feud with Chris Fehn . Corey had also just divorced his wife. It is from these periods of utter despair that Slipknot seems to draw the best from their artistic ambitions. It can be said, then, that We Are Not Your Kind carries the same lyrical aggression and discontent in its lyrics as Iowa . The difference is that, 18 years later, the band continues to expand its sonic reach and uses experimental devices to achieve the same atmosphere of misery that the much-celebrated second album conveyed.
READ ALSO: 14-year-old girl delivers killer drum cover of Slipknot's "Unsainted"