Customer Reviews

Iowa

5 star:		(308)
4 star:		(109)
3 star:		(64)
2 star:		(43)
1 star:		(123)

 

 

Slipknot's second major label debut is one of the most anticipated modern & extreme metal releases of the year & an important step foward for the band who exploded onto the heavy music scene in 1999, following their rare & independant mate, feed, kill, repeat album, with the brutal, complex & aggressive assault of their self titled LP. Iowa treads similar ground to the debut, though it is undoubtably heavier, faster & thrashier then the first album, while losing the minimal hip-hop influence present on the debut, & still incorporating a strong sense of melody. the guitaring is an improvement from the debut & the brilliant double bass onslaught & blast beats from drummer Joey Jordison once again has helped established him as one of the world's best drumming talents. Corey's vocals are again a standout with the diversity & aggression of his vocals shining through & dripping with conviction, that some anti-slipknot fans have claimed he doesn't possess. Corey is also assisted with some impressive backing vocals from the two percussionists. Scratches & samples add an eerie & subtle atmosphere to the music though they are not incorporated on this album as much as they were on the debut. The production is again first class from Ross Robinson, with the help of the slipknot crew. In my opinion the best tracks are People=S**t, Disasterpiece, New Abortion, Heretic Anthem, I am Hated & The shape. Left Behind displays good use of melody while the remakes of Gently & the 15 minute long atmospheric album closer Iowa are also impressive. The only song that hasn't as yet grabbed my attention is Everything Ends. Overall an awesome follow-up to the debut LP, with slipknot's death metal influences more prominant then ever without allowing the band to be classed as purely Death metal. Check out lamb of God, Soilent Green, Acid Bath & Australian metal bands Alchemist, Damaged & Blood Duster.

The 20th Century was, not so long ago, the most violent in human history.

Man it doesn't take much to get upstaged.

The 21st Century is like some great blood-soaked gut-spattered gory canvas of Satan, and a real work of art it is: Genocide in all its viscera-spattered glory stomping red-toothed & hungry across the Sudan & despoiling Rwanda; the annihilation by 747 of two of America's most iconic skyscrapers; constant headhacking, decapitation, & the development of Suicide Bombing as one Religion's single contribution to culture; riots, looting, burning, raping, maiming to say nothing of the lesser Lights of Violence like typhoons, twisters, earthquakes, and even a hurricane that devoured a major American city while everybody just watched.

Man it's been a doozy, hasn't it? Who needs monsters when we have Mankind?

In this world full of idiots, I'm grateful that I have a band like Slipknot. I'm glad I can spin a brutal little brass-knuckles headcrusher of a CD like Iowa, which is great music to listen to when you want to crush people and break things. When you're tired of idiots on the highway driving in the passing lane at 45 mph, creating a rolling roadblock---the same idiots who scream down leafy & narrow suburban streets at 90 mph or tailgating you within inches of your back bumper when you have nowhere to go.

You with me?

It's great music to just let rampage through your ears, your guts, your windows, when you're sick of the vomit our so-called "Leaders" spew, vomit that passes as wisdom, vomit that assures us we should fret & worry about what terrorist savages think about us, that we should be ready at every instant to bow & scrape & apologize.

It's for those moments when some hideous mainstream sub-normal twists up his face and says "why do you have to be so weird?". It's for everybody who ever said "you're never gonna make it", for every chick who ever shot you down because she was gunning for the QB, who now sells used cars and comes home to the little hovel they call a home, gunning his grungy little Geo through the stoplights.

It's for those days that are Red in Tooth & Claw, when the Rage just spills over and you need something to serve as a soundtrack for fury.

That's "Iowa".

JSG

I really found nothing wrong with Slipknot's self-titled album. I mean I do agree that these guys don't have alot of talent in some areas, but the energy that they bring to the table is just incredible. So I was skeptical about their new album entitled IOWA. Well everybody that says that these guys have sold out and that they suck, can stick it up their ... Slipknot have gone death metal. Pure brutality. As simple as that. I read in one review of this album that Slipknot have stuck a blood covered knife down the throats of their listeners and they are going to make you like it. I could not agree more. A perfect way to sum up Iowa. Corey Taylor(8), continues to be one of the most talented singers in metal. With his full on assault of ferocious screams and beautiful melodies, Taylor will continue to lead the attack that is Slipknot.Of course Joey Jordison(1), continues to be one of the best drummers out there, as he continues his fast pounding and full on assault.
Slipknot have definitly scored a perfect 5 with me on Iowa. Its's time for people to stop disliking these guys due to the masks and jumpsuits, and it is time for people to start looking deep into the realm of savagry that is Slipknot.

Tracks of note: People=..., Disasterpiece, Everything Ends, The Heretic Anthem, Gently, Left Behind, The Shape, New Abortion, and Iowa

Way back in the Eighties, there were several metal albums so astounding they remain personal favourites to this day: Metallica's Master Of Puppets, Iron Maiden's Live After Death, Slayer's Reign In Blood, and Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime, to name a few. Heavy music has changed so much these days that singing merely about Samuel Taylor Coleridge, H.P. Lovecraft, Reaganomics, and old reliable Satan himself sounds sorely out of date. What's left to sing about is nothing but a load of whiny introspective tripe, but with their phenomenal debut, and their new album Iowa, Slipknot prove they are the true masters of
cashing in on their own misery.

Slipknot have this teen angst thing nailed down...as Bart Simpson once said, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. They're not idiots. Today's Gen-Y Global Teens have pop lolitas and boy groups for the kids, cheeky 'punk' bands for future frat boys, boring trance music for the ravers, sophomoric rap for the suburbanite gangstas, and yes, doom rock for the bottom-of-the-barrel misfits, all carefully marketed and packaged. What sets Slipknot above boring white-boy metal rappers and cartoony acts like Mudvayne and Gwar is their absolute, undeniable conviction and tight metal musicianship.

Iowa would be half the album it is if it were not for the efforts of Ross Robinson and Andy Wallace (Wallace mixed Slayer's classic Reign In Blood). The duo are able to combine powerful vocals, two guitars, an extraordinary drummer, a bassist, two percussionists, and two samplers, creating such a monolithic sonic wall of hell, making it, bar none, the greatest-sounding metal album I have ever heard, and I've heard a lot of them.

Although the use of the ubiquitous eff-werd is repeated ad infinitum, vocalist Corey Taylor shows some creative growth on Iowa. 'My Plague', 'Heretic Anthem', 'Metabolic', and the searing 'I Am Hated' show that he's capable of more than nonsensical bellyaching. Slipknot's incredible musical chops are evident on songs like the frantic 'People=S**t' and 'Disasterpiece'. The album's epic title track is a bit of a departure, and is equally thrilling and disturbing, a kind of nu-metal blues jam that lasts a good fifteen minutes.

Like their debut cd, Slipknot are again guilty of not knowing when to quit. Iowa is ten or fifteen minutes too long; 'Left Behind', while possessing amazing production, is an obvious single stuck in to get some radio airplay and sell more units, and 'Skin Ticket' says nothing that Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral didn't say seven years ago. Something with such extreme content should be shortened... that's what makes something like the 28-minute Reign In Blood so memorable.

Though not as explosive as the previous album, Iowa is a terrific piece of work. I'm simply amazed at the intensity. However, I'm worried that some poor, misguided kid somewhere will misinterpret the lyrics and take out his or her frustrations the wrong way. I've always been against musical censorship, but any parent out there who hears this music coming from their kid's bedroom should make sure the kid has his or her head screwed on straight. For every ten kids who dig this album for its visceral power, there will always be one who'll take it all a bit too seriously. The other day I put on Iron Maiden's The Number Of The Beast, and found myself longing for the days when metal bands sang about the old Prisoner tv show, Native Americans, and the Book of Revelations. It all seems so harmless now.

Alright this cd is good. it has some neat songs like Left Behind and New Abortion, but the mai nthing I came to say is that there is a new Slipknot CD May 25, 2004

Iowa is an album that was recorded by masterminds! The music is much heavier, faster, melodic, and better than their self titled debut which is still very good and is selling! Iowa shows a different side of the band with the vocals on songs like Gently, Iowa, and New Abortion. In those songs Slipknot have brought a new element with them! Corey8Taylor sings more but, has also brought a kind of sadness to the lyrics. This band is a heavy hitter that just will not stop! They are not for the weak so all you preps stay away from this nine man freak show which consist of Sid0Wilson, Joey1Jordison, Paul2Gray, Chris3Fehn, James4Root, Craig5Jones, Shawn6Crahan, Mick7Thompson, and Corey8Tatlor. If you are new to Slipknot then you are probably thinking "Who needs nine people to run a band?" Well this is the think so many people put this band down because, they can't stand them or they think that they have no talent at all. Well if you saw them on stage then you would know how much talent this band has! Sid0Wilson is the D.J. and he does a hell of a job at it on the song Spit It Out on their self titled debut! When he doesn't play a part in a song he will crowd surf all the time jumping from anywhere! He even jumped off of a twenty foot balcony once trying to crowd surf but, he missed the crowd and landed on a guard rail breaking two of his ribs. Joey1Jordison is one of the best new drummers that you will ever see! He invents stuff that you haven't even heard before that works out great with the guitars! Paul2Gray is one of the members of the band that doesn't look like he is much of a talker but, he will quickly reinvent himself with his killer distorted bass riffs! Chris3Fehn is probably one of the coolest guys in the band because, just watching him move around is a thrill! He is funny lookin with that mask but, he will bang his head and that nose will flop! He is a percussionist so he gives a heavy beat to the songs. James4Root on guitar is pretty cool! He looks like Leather Face from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! Craig5Jones is on sampler! He is one of the biggest members of the band because, he invents some stuff that you have never I mean even once in your life heard before! He does some scary stuff. Shawn6Crahan is crazy! He is a percussionist just like Chris but, he Bangs his head on everything! Mick7Thompson I think is one the best new guitar players on the metal scene right now! His work in the songs Gently, Iowa, and Everything Ends I couldn't believe it! I had no idea that he could do something that great! Corey8Taylor is a different kind of vocalist! Using all kinds of tones he does some things that no other new bands have done. If you really want to get into Slipknot then I think that you should get their debut first because, in this album they do alot of different things. If you are a fan of Slipknot then you are another maggot. I hope Slipknot are still going to be around for a couple of years so we can see if they have more to contribute to rock! Don't forget their reign of terror has just begun!

Yeah, it rules, that's why it got 5, but if you get the other Iowa Japanese import(the one with the goat pic) it also has the live Liberate bonus track and its a lot cheaper. I don't understand why its so overpriced, maybe just because the cover is different. But whichever one you get, you'll be happy because Iowa=The best.
Out of the album, if you liked Left Behind, there's a cd that features its director's cut music video. It also contains the live versions of Liberate and Surfacing. . . so as I see it, if you get the normal Iowa cd and the Left Behind cd, you get the Liberate live track plus more.

I love real death metal. I just wanted to state that right off the bat, because some of these reviewers aren't even judging the music here, but it's label. If it's not true metal, it can't be good. Whatever. Is this music heavy? Hell yes. Is this music aggressive? To no end! Out of 500 CD's I own, this is probably the most aggressive emotional CD in there...this is the CD I play when someone really pisses me off. Why? Because you can actually understand the lyrics and and riffs are infectios and brutal as hell! Not only is the music heavy, the songwriting is top notch.

The only reason people hate Slipknot is because they are mainstream. Nice! If this band wasn't popular, all those metalheads would be raving about this group.

In response to that other poster:

3.) We also like our metal heavy, and this isn't heavy

lol...the guitars are just as heavy, if not heavier than most death bands. Just because they have some grove and distinguishable riffs, doesn't make them soft.

1.) They are heavier
2.) They are better
3.) They sound awesome live
4.) They don't need studio effects to make them sound good.
End of discussion.

lol...sorry, but I've seen Nile, Hate Eternal, Cryptopsy, etc etc live, and THEY SOUND AWFUL!! Every song sounds the exact same, and the vocals are retchid and the equivalent of someone coughing up flem. You wanna talk about sheep? All you care about is trying to stand apart from the crowd...that makes you a sheep. You don't even care about anything other than being different...yah, that's not new! All the concert goers at a Nile show are sheep when they say the name of the upcomming song...screaming as if they really know what the hell is coming up. They don't care! They just like the music loud!

So that's the end of that. Don't label things, because if you do, you'll just be missing out on a lot of great bands - and this is one of them.

Amazing CD...one of the best I own.

It has at last come to us..the follow-up to the angriest album ever, Slipknot's self-titled debut: this is Iowa, the sophomore dose of the pure rage and hate that only this band can spew so easily and get away with. From the start, you can tell this is going to be a slightly darker beast than their prior efforts, as shrieking feedback and depraved screaming in the intro 515 signal a Knot that has grown darker, more sick, and full of even more rage. The new songs are much different from the songs on the debut: they lack the hardcore and punk influence, and contain less speed. That doesnt mean this isnt heavy, which this cd most certainly is. Tracks like People=..., Disasterpiece, Everything Ends, Metabolic and Heretic Anthem amongst others contain traceable elements of death and thrash metal-the little solo on Metabolic sounds like something youd hear on a Morbid Angel album-while songs such as The Shape and Skin Ticket mix dark melodic vocals with sick screams and some strange riffs. As on the last album, there are a couple of re-do's, this time of Gently and Iowa (last seen as Killers Are Quiet), and these two songs are vintage Knot, combining strange vocal work with pure musical insanity, mixing guitars with electronics, backed by pulsating rythym. This is easily a better album than the debut disc of 1999-darker, more mature and technically adept, as well as having a groove to it that gets you in the mood to headbang and scream along. Fave tracks thus far are P=S, Everything Ends, Disasterpiece, Heretic, Gently, The Shape, Skin Ticket, and Metabolic, though in all honesty there is no bad song on this album. Vintage Knot-ten times the anger, ten times the hate, ten times the heaviness, ten times the maturity. This is Iowa, the sickest cd unleashed this year.

First of all I have to state that this review is for the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Iowa, not the standard edition. I have no idea why Amazon believes that the Tenth Anniversary Edition of Slipknot's self-titled LP deserves its own review page and Iowa doesn't, but until/if it gets one my review will remain here.

The first disk is just Iowa with the New Abuse Mix of My Plague that was on the Resident Evil soundtrack, which is basically a clean (and cleaned up) radio friendly version of My Plague.

Disk two is the audio from the live performance on the Slipknot - Disasterpieces. Personally this is something I've wanted for years... but I'm not stupid. If I wanted it bad enough I could have just ripped the audio from the DVD. It's nice to have and I'm glad to have it, but I have a feeling that most people who wanted it have the audio already.

The third disk (DVD) is called "Goat" and is a documentary of sorts about the tour in support of Iowa with commentary from some of the band about the making of Iowa along with all of the videos made for the album.

-For those familiar with Clown's previous Slipknot docs you'll know what I'm talking about when I say that it's less a documentary on the tour than it is just random, non cohesive video snippets from live shows, video shoots and backstage thrown together. It fails to inform, but for someone like me who is/was a huge fan of the band at this time it does entertain.

-Some of the interviews are more informative than others. Sid, Jim, and Mick share a little info about pressures the band faced at the time, their input as well as the influence Paul Gray had on the album while the band's hype machines Corey and Joey talk Iowa up as being the heaviest and darkest album of all time.

-During the interviews the band appear obscured by shadows, which to me is tribute to a time when the band said that they would never "pull a Kiss" and appear or perform without their masks... at that time (prior to appearing unmasked in various side projects) if they were filmed unmasked their faces were either blurred out completely or obscured in some way. Of course to most people doing this is probably laughable now, considering they have since performed/been in videos, etc. unmasked, but take it how you will.

-The saddest thing to me is that Paul Gray passed away months before the interviews were filmed. Iowa was Paul and Joey's baby, and the majority of the songs on the album (not including songs like Iowa which already existed in another form) were written by them before any of the other members even stepped foot into the studio. It would've been nice to hear his take on the album considering the massive effort he put into Iowa, and the fact that he was much more grounded and less inclined to hype things up than the other members.

If you have Iowa and Disasterpieces you'll find little new here, and if you're on a budget you might be better off passing on this.