All Hope Is Gone

by Slipknot

Overview

There comes a time in every band's life where they take off the masks and grow up -- then again, maybe not, as Slipknot have managed to dig deeper without ever shedding their grotesque veils. They're still wearing disguises but they have shed producer Rick Rubin, the metal legend who produced 2004's Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, giving the nonet just the slightest hint of broader horizons beyond their relentless aggression -- not enough for the band to crossover, but perhaps enough to earn grudging respect from listeners outside of metalheads. Of course, such respect is hardly granted to bands that wear monster maggot masks, so Slipknot's retreat to ugliness on their fourth album -- a move telegraphed heavily by the cheery title All Hope Is Gone -- isn't entirely surprising, nor is it unwelcome as this isn't a regression, it's more or less a consolidation of strengths. Certainly, the album gets off to a throttling start with "Gematria," a cluster of cacophony and for the longest time on All Hope it seems as if Slipknot will never let up on this pressure, as this is an onslaught of densely dark intricate riffs. So effective is this onslaught that when things do get a little softer a little later on, the album threatens to collapse like a souffle, but that's only because the slower moments emphasize the group's odd tendency to sound like anonymous active rock when they untwist their rhythms and lay off on the double bass drums. Nowhere is this latent tendency for macho schmaltz more evident than on "Snuff," a stab at a power ballad that sounds disarmingly close to Nickelback, a bewildering incongruity that feels even stranger given the album's otherwise merciless attack. One more power ballad like this would be enough to derail the album, turning it into the crossover Vol. 3 never was despite Rubin's flourishes, but All Hope Is Gone as a whole winds up being as bleak and unforgiving as its title. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/26/2022
Label:	Roadrunner Records
UPC:	0075678645747
Rank:	11779

Tracks

1. Execute
2. Gematria (The Killing Name)
3. Sulfur
4. Psychosocial
5. Dead Memories
6. Vendetta
7. Butcher's Hook
8. Gehenna
9. This Cold Black
10. Wherein Lies Continue
11. Snuff
12. All Hope Is Gone

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Slipknot   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Slipknot   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Dave Fortman   Audio Production,Producer
Paul Gray   Composer,Lyricist,Composer,Lyricist
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Corey Taylor   Composer,Lyricist
Colin Richardson   Mixing
Jeremy Parker   Engineer
Monte Conner   A&R
Joey Jordison   Composer,Lyricist
Logan Mader   Mixing
Mick Thomson   Composer
Craig Jones   Composer
Sid Wilson   Composer
Chris Fehn   Composer
P.R. Brown   Design,Photography
Shawn Crahan   Composer,Lyricist,Art Direction
Jim Root   Composer
Clown   Composer,Lyricist
Nathan Jordison   Composer,Lyricist