Tuesday, June 1
To Tie The Knot
It's sad. I wasted the 30th entry into this barmy beast on a disclaimer for a nutter. Ah well, never mind. I never got to finish my Slipknot theme week the other week. Which is as good enough a reason as any to do an update on them as "31st Post Spectacular" would be.
As any Media Studies student will tell you, conventions are the typical things that occur in media products, like tits in tabloids, suits on the news, and no intelligence in anything George Bush says or does. For now, we're going to talk about the conventions of Slipknot albums. It doesn't help that the new album seems to have been made specifically to break these...
Weird Electronic Intro
Convention: Each Slipknot album will start with a short intro, with wierd electronic noises, and Corey's vocals looped in some odd form.
Slipknot: "742617000027" Score: Yep. Odd trebly feeback, with Corey going "The whole thing I think is sick." And not, as I originally thought, "I hope the rabbit can spit."
Iowa: "[515]" Score: Yep. Odd bass/guitar feedback, sounding for all the world like a tractor, with Corey screaming.
The Subliminal Verses: "Prelude 3.0" Score: Sort of. It's more of a full song than a short intro. Odd vocals, yes, but not looped. No trippy feedback, but properly-played instruments. And not under a minute, but just under four.
Bastard Heavy Second Track
Convention: After said intro, one of the heaviest tracks will come out and pop ear drums.
Slipknot: "(Sic)" Score: Yep. This song was originally called "Slipknot". Work it out for yourself.
Iowa: "People=Shit" Score: Yep. Its comparing humankind to its own waste. I agree. Work it all out for yourself.
TSV: "The Blister Exists" Score: Yep. The solo vocals are "I Am The Damaged One!" Work it out for yourself.
Lead Single
Convention: There will be a single. And it will be very good.
Slipknot: "Wait And Bleed" Score: Just. It was indeed the first single, and quite good in its edited version. But it wasn't the best song on the album by miles.
Iowa: "Left Behind" Score: Yep. Have you seen the video? Its the band prancing around in the woods, with a goat, in the rain. While a small child works at a butchers and eats muddy cereal. Hard. Core. I. Think.
TSV: "Duality" Score: Yes, in an odd but VERY good way. It introduces us to vocal melody. Some of us knew Corey had that. And some morons still won't believe it. Smacktards. Best song ever, methinx.
Prominant Tracks
Convention: There will be other tracks that either rock like an avalanche in the Himalayas, or are just... interesing.
Slipknot: "Spit It Out" is some peoples favourite song, and one I like a lot. Its the closest Corey comes to rapping on any album. Not about his "biatches" like most C-rap, but about hating radio stations. "Eyeless" features drum 'n bass loops, and features Corey screaming, rapping, and even blithering through how he never knew his father. Quality.
Iowa: "My Plague" is only being mentioned, because the single version is even worse than the album version. And is only elaborated on because said crap track appeared on the "Resident Evil" sountrack. "The Heretic Anthem" is just fast-paced Satanistic silliness.
TSV: "Pulse of the Maggots" actually namechecks the fanbase, and tells us "What have you got to lose, except your soul?" Listen, people! "Circle", by contrast, is an acoustic track. It's good, but bloody hell, its like Brittany Spears doing a grindcore album.
"Love" Songs
Convention: There will be a track on each album perverting the idea of love, as only nine masked Iowans can.
Slipknot: "Purity" Score: Hmm. This had to be shoe-horned in really. It was take from later copies of the album because of copywrite laws. It's based on the story of a girl who was buried alive. Ooh, lovely.
Iowa: "Everything Ends" Score: Yep. It's one of my favourie "break up" songs, alongside Raging Speedhorns "Heartbreaker", in that it's exactly the hateful garbage you'd like to be screaming at your previous nearest-and-dearest yourself.
TSV: "Vermillion pts 1+2" Score: Well... yes. They're two songs, part two being an acoustic version of part one. The first part is more of an angsty snarl, but both versions are mellow points in the sea of anger, also tempered by melody. Mellowness indeed. What happened to the "I want to slit your throat and fuck the wound!" of the last album?
Long and Drawn-Out Outro
Convention: The last track will be a long and drawn out outro. It will be cool.
Slipknot: "Scissors" Score: Yep. It laid down the blueprint for the convention. If only being eight minutes long.
Iowa: "Iowa" Score: Yep. This song built on that. Fifteen minutes and even more drawn out. At this rate, album three should have been half an hour long, and not even touched a regular instrument for seven odd minutes...
TSV: None! There was no long and drawn out outro! I am disappointed! We have "The Virus of Life", which is like Scissors, only shorter and faster, and "Danger - Keep Away", which is yet another acoustic track, but no mega long outro. Boo hoo. To be quite honest, they could just have used "Vermillion pt. 2" as an outro, and that would have worked quite well.
Well, that was a steaming pile of steam. Let's be honest, it was either that, or my angsty rant about mothers, brothers and paedophiles...
As any Media Studies student will tell you, conventions are the typical things that occur in media products, like tits in tabloids, suits on the news, and no intelligence in anything George Bush says or does. For now, we're going to talk about the conventions of Slipknot albums. It doesn't help that the new album seems to have been made specifically to break these...
Weird Electronic Intro
Convention: Each Slipknot album will start with a short intro, with wierd electronic noises, and Corey's vocals looped in some odd form.
Slipknot: "742617000027" Score: Yep. Odd trebly feeback, with Corey going "The whole thing I think is sick." And not, as I originally thought, "I hope the rabbit can spit."
Iowa: "[515]" Score: Yep. Odd bass/guitar feedback, sounding for all the world like a tractor, with Corey screaming.
The Subliminal Verses: "Prelude 3.0" Score: Sort of. It's more of a full song than a short intro. Odd vocals, yes, but not looped. No trippy feedback, but properly-played instruments. And not under a minute, but just under four.
Bastard Heavy Second Track
Convention: After said intro, one of the heaviest tracks will come out and pop ear drums.
Slipknot: "(Sic)" Score: Yep. This song was originally called "Slipknot". Work it out for yourself.
Iowa: "People=Shit" Score: Yep. Its comparing humankind to its own waste. I agree. Work it all out for yourself.
TSV: "The Blister Exists" Score: Yep. The solo vocals are "I Am The Damaged One!" Work it out for yourself.
Lead Single
Convention: There will be a single. And it will be very good.
Slipknot: "Wait And Bleed" Score: Just. It was indeed the first single, and quite good in its edited version. But it wasn't the best song on the album by miles.
Iowa: "Left Behind" Score: Yep. Have you seen the video? Its the band prancing around in the woods, with a goat, in the rain. While a small child works at a butchers and eats muddy cereal. Hard. Core. I. Think.
TSV: "Duality" Score: Yes, in an odd but VERY good way. It introduces us to vocal melody. Some of us knew Corey had that. And some morons still won't believe it. Smacktards. Best song ever, methinx.
Prominant Tracks
Convention: There will be other tracks that either rock like an avalanche in the Himalayas, or are just... interesing.
Slipknot: "Spit It Out" is some peoples favourite song, and one I like a lot. Its the closest Corey comes to rapping on any album. Not about his "biatches" like most C-rap, but about hating radio stations. "Eyeless" features drum 'n bass loops, and features Corey screaming, rapping, and even blithering through how he never knew his father. Quality.
Iowa: "My Plague" is only being mentioned, because the single version is even worse than the album version. And is only elaborated on because said crap track appeared on the "Resident Evil" sountrack. "The Heretic Anthem" is just fast-paced Satanistic silliness.
TSV: "Pulse of the Maggots" actually namechecks the fanbase, and tells us "What have you got to lose, except your soul?" Listen, people! "Circle", by contrast, is an acoustic track. It's good, but bloody hell, its like Brittany Spears doing a grindcore album.
"Love" Songs
Convention: There will be a track on each album perverting the idea of love, as only nine masked Iowans can.
Slipknot: "Purity" Score: Hmm. This had to be shoe-horned in really. It was take from later copies of the album because of copywrite laws. It's based on the story of a girl who was buried alive. Ooh, lovely.
Iowa: "Everything Ends" Score: Yep. It's one of my favourie "break up" songs, alongside Raging Speedhorns "Heartbreaker", in that it's exactly the hateful garbage you'd like to be screaming at your previous nearest-and-dearest yourself.
TSV: "Vermillion pts 1+2" Score: Well... yes. They're two songs, part two being an acoustic version of part one. The first part is more of an angsty snarl, but both versions are mellow points in the sea of anger, also tempered by melody. Mellowness indeed. What happened to the "I want to slit your throat and fuck the wound!" of the last album?
Long and Drawn-Out Outro
Convention: The last track will be a long and drawn out outro. It will be cool.
Slipknot: "Scissors" Score: Yep. It laid down the blueprint for the convention. If only being eight minutes long.
Iowa: "Iowa" Score: Yep. This song built on that. Fifteen minutes and even more drawn out. At this rate, album three should have been half an hour long, and not even touched a regular instrument for seven odd minutes...
TSV: None! There was no long and drawn out outro! I am disappointed! We have "The Virus of Life", which is like Scissors, only shorter and faster, and "Danger - Keep Away", which is yet another acoustic track, but no mega long outro. Boo hoo. To be quite honest, they could just have used "Vermillion pt. 2" as an outro, and that would have worked quite well.
Well, that was a steaming pile of steam. Let's be honest, it was either that, or my angsty rant about mothers, brothers and paedophiles...
