Does Corey Taylor want you to abandon all hope when you enter the domain of Slipknot's new album All Hope is Gone? Not really.
When the singer says "hope is gone" he doesn't mean everything is hopeless, he means all hope is lost for anyone who thinks they've got his band all figured out. Slipknot's new album doesn't just defy expectations, it sneeringly shatters them. Those expecting a continuation of the band's last disc Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses, will be surprised. Anyone hoping for a flashback to the brutal rancor of Iowa might be annoyed and fans anticipating a disc colored by Taylor and guitarist Jim Root's last album with Stone Sour will be sorely disappointed. Who will be happy? -- pretty much anyone who's ever liked Slipknkot because of their jarring artistry and striking sense of originality in a genre filled with predictability and cliches.
All Hope is Gone is musically revelatory, combining the acute melodies of Volume 3 with the savagery of Iowa and adding new elements that have blossomed from the band's growth as musicians, attention to detail and unhurried approach to songwriting. The disc is packed with conflict and juxtaposition. Taylor growls throughout instead of actually singing, yet the tracks are suffused with strong melodies. The guitar work and drum patterns are technical and complex, however the music isn't too challenging and the lyrics are rife with pain and rage, yet glimmer with hope.
Our exclusive Independence Day interview with Taylor was conducted in late June as Collin Richardson was mixing All Hope is Gone. And while the singer was swamped with meetings to finalize details for the record, last minute scheduling for the upcoming Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour (which they're co-headlining with Disturbed) and family obligations, he was focused, insightful and friendly during our 45-minute conversation, which alternately was laced with confessional sincerity and peppered with levity. In addition to discussing the creation of the new disc, he talked about: the ever-present studio tensions that allow Slipknot to create such explosive albums; the volatile political climate in America and why he's not voting in the 2008 election; the rewards and responsibilities of being a father and the personal hardships he was able to temporarily escape during the making of All Hope Is Gone.
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