You wouldn’t likely have realized it, but Slipknot has not released a new album in nearly four years. The band’s last effort, Subliminal Verses Vol. III, was an album of “rehabilation” for the band after years of frustration and anger.  That was evident in the increase of radio-friendly hits and a more polished and less heavy sound.  Since that time Slipknot has remained relevant, releasing its songs on Video Games such as Guitar Hero and touring extensively. 

Now they have a new disc entitled “All Hope Is Gone” to hit stores August 12 in the United States (that is earlier than the original August 26th date set–what a surprise, let me guess, the album leaked! Wowzers).  The new album is a self-proclaimed cross between Subliminal Verses, and the much darker 2001 release entitled “Iowa“.  The band says that at the time that they created Iowa, they essentially hated each other and the world.  For their own sake, hopefully they summoned some of that for this most recent release–anger is what Slipknot does well, period. “We have made an album that will show the road behind, the road ahead, and where we are as men,” group member Corey Taylor said.  “I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever made. And I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.”

Despite these claims, fans of old-school Slipknot and of Hardcore or Heavy Metal music in general may not be too pleased with the new release.  In addition to speaking to the quality of the album, Billboard quoted Taylor as saying that he is tired of pretending he can’t sing on slipknot albums. Translation: Stone Sour part II.  “Instead of bitching about what went wrong in my life, I’m bitching about what’s wrong in life, period,” Taylor said, noting that his vocals are much more melodic than before. “I got to the point where I was tired of pretending that I couldn’t sing every time I made a Slipknot album, so this time I’m going all out.” EEEEEEK.

Given that Slipknot is overall a better and more talented band than Stone Sour, I will always look forward to a new Slipknot album, but more singing means less screaming, and less screaming means less of what made Slipknot popular in the first place.  Despite Taylor’s insistence that the album will be dark, it still seems unlikely that it will be nearly as heavy as previous releases. Still, if you are curious, check out the band’s myspace page to listen to a couple of tracks. Honestly, the title track ‘All Hope Is Gone’ sounds pretty brutal…