Albums Of The Decade: Slipknot – Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Once a week on Metal Hammer, we’ll be picking one of the best albums of the decade and lavishing you with the story behind the record, related videos and links. To kickstart the series, we’re taking a look at Slipknot’s landmark modern metal masterpiece, ‘Vol.3: (The Subliminal Verses).
Coming off of the back of the ‘Iowa’ album, Slipknot had been painted as a band in disarray. At the risk of sounding a wee bit on the cheesy side, the press were painting them out as a band at war.
It’s well documented that the band were growing apart as people, interviews on the ‘Iowa’ tour had members firing pot-shots at each other from every angle and when Joey Jordison and Corey Taylor began to enjoy massive success with their side-project bands The Murderdolls and Stone Sour respectively, the future looked bleak for the 18-legged Des Moines noise machine.
With Corey Taylor talking about Stone Sour having a longer shelf-life than Slipknot and his drinking spiralling to an astonishing level, the band moved into Rick Rubin’s famed recording studio, The Mansion, to work with the bearded legend himself on the band’s third outing. With Rubin’s production technique being to leave a band for days and some times weeks at a time to hammer out their best material amongst themselves, this decision was a risk that could have ended the band for good.
Instead, Slipknot created a record that still stands as one of the very best metal releases of this decade.
While it was expected that the ‘Knot would tear each other limb from limb and many were already ringing the band’s death knell, they hammered out their differences, solidified as a unit and wrote an album that is considered by many the best of their career. Whether it was intended or not, Rubin’s alleged lack of participation inadvertently contributed to this finished product massively whilst the band took their melodic leanings to heights that it can be argued that no other metal act have touched in the noughties.
Did Taylor’s time in the more melodic-leaning Stone Sour contribute to this? It could definitely be argued so. The most impressive thing about ‘Vol. 3′ is that there’s so many great vocal lines without the band having to play down any of their trademark ferocity.
Want evidence of this combo? Listen to the rabid crowd at Download roaring ‘Clau-stro-pho-bic!’ and ‘cat-o-stro-phic!’ in ‘Before I Forget‘ while going seven shades of ape-shit. Indeed, when Slipknot released their self-titled record in ‘99, we never thought that they could top ‘Wait And Bleed’ for an anthem. The intro to ‘Duality’ at Download this year tells you how wrong we were. Evidence of this combination of beauty and brutality? Listen to 80,000 people screaming “nothing is what it seems!” from the same performance.
Slipknot also made a mockery of some of the accusations levelled at them prior to the release of ‘Vol.3′. ‘Vermillion Pt. 2′ was a haunting acoustic track that recalled Alice In Chains’ best acoustic moments whilst establishing Corey Taylor as one of the finest rock vocalists of his generation. Interestingly, ‘Vol. 3′ was also the first Slipknot record to not carry a ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker as Taylor wanted to dispell any preconception that his lyrics relied on swearing for shock-factor.
Quite simply, this is about as perfect as modern metal gets. The heaviest band to ever bring the mainstream to them, this is Slipknot’s finest hour.
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Pretty awesome review there, MH.
yhh wicked review!!!…although corey and jim revealed that they didn’t enjoy workin with Rick Rubin, still though, great producer, great band usually means a great album, and Vol 3 was certainly that!
i like it, one of my most loved bands, go metal hammer \oo/
Probably their best… Though it’s a little too much like Stone Sour when it slows down…
Great album! Great review!
Self titled was their best though!!
Duality at Sonisphere was epic though!!!!!!!
I really like Circle, and Blister from this album, apart form the usual suspects obviously.
When i saw em last year, and at Download, i was so pleased they played blister, its in my top ten Knot songs…..
Vermillion pt. 1, hands down their best song to date.
My love for heavy music started with slipknot, and it’s bad ass that all these years later, their music has matured at the same pace as my tastes.
This was the album that introduced me to Sipknot. Loved it then, love it still.
Meant to say It introduced me to Slipknot not Sipknot !! dumbfuck !! oh and All Hope Is Gone is awesome too
I can think of alot of albums from that year that are 1) better and 2) deserve more attention that Slipknot
Read the introduction ONE OF THE not THE best album of the decade. See the distinction there? Good boy =]
Awesome album indeed, not as heavy as self titled or as dark as Iowa but stands out confidently on it’s own merits, You have to give it to them, each album builds and matures on the last outing, All Hope is Gone is a continuum of this, a mark of all shit hot bands….. They are also fast becoming an epic live band.
that album was shit no matter what anyone says
the best album was Iowa
Wow mark ur opinion just blanks evry1 else’s eh. No matter what any1 else says, ur a wanker. Evry1’s entitled to their own opinion.
On that note, i thought the album was amazing! Not as good as Iowa but clearly more ambitious!
They haven’t and never will beat the Self Titled ablum imho. Dont get me wrong, Iowa, Vol.3 and even All Hope Is Gone were very good albums (apart from that one and only ‘Knot song that I have to skip when I listen to the ablum – Gehenna) – But that first album was just one masterpeice after another: (sic), Eyeless, Wait And Bleed, Surfacing, Spit It Out, Purity, Liberate, Fucking Eeeeeeeyyooooooorrrrreeee
I would agree on reflection with theverdict in that the sheer brutality of the Self Titled is unlikely to be matched and it stands out as the masterpiece, much likes Korn’s first album it will be their legacy in the future.
idd say that this + the selftiteled is their best albums, cant really choose between them, they both got nice songs… the selftiteled got (sic), eyeless, wait and bleed, surfacing, spit it out, prosthetics and purity.. while vol 3 got blister, duality, circle, vermillion (my fav slipknot song) before i forget, nameless, vermillion pt 2 and danger – keep away (yes its a great song and i like it alot, very calmning
)…. there by not said that iowa was bad (!!) it was cruel to, just not as many nice songs on that album only a few. and by that said i think ahig is their worst so far (but havent really listened to it 110% yet) i dont like wherein lies continue, gematria, child and ’til we die, and its to hard to remember some of the other songs from each other… either they are heavy, or else they are calm… but nice to see slipknot evolving through the years! cant wait for the 10-yr tour!
Mark your right and wrong. Yes this album is shit but every Slipknot album is shit. Scene music for 13 year olds who hate there perants.
Then get the fuck out and listen to your new britney album And love your parents! I hate people that feel like nobody pays attention to them and then comment on the things that don’t mean shit to them just to get some fuckin’ worthless attention!
Here it is! SOME ATTENTION! Take it home unhappy little boy!
At first i didn’t really like it because the lack of heaviness from Iowa, but i enjoy the change espcially in the drumming (more technical than going for heavy beats).
son los putos amos, the best group of the decade, from spain slipknot forever
Vol.3 is their fuckin best album! Iowa was just noise. Before I Forget is fuckin Metallica worthy. And in this album Corey finally sung like himself and not trying to be like Phil Anselmo (Pantera)! And scenekid?? I think not! The heading said Slipknot, not fuckin bring me the horizon! Slipknot have been around before scene and are the absolute force that seeks to destroy scene! Fuck scene and emo. UP WITH METAL!
lol funny how arguments break out over silly things :L
soulfly-dark ages is the best album ever
slipknots best is iowa actualy
but we all no that slipknot arent as good as they used to be and beein a maggot is not as good as it was during the 1999-2002 period.
i agree LAMB OF GOD r so much better
Vermillion (both parts) are two of the best songs Slipknot have recorded. This album was filled with great songs but those two really stood out.
I’ve got to admit, as much as I love IOWA, I’ve been starting for the last year or so to realise that Vol 3: was, and still is in my opinion, their strongest release.
I don’t get a feeling of filler at any point in the album.
And yeh, the singles are good, but “The Virus Of Life” is awesome and definitely one of my favourite Slipknot songs.
Definitely one of the albums of the decade.
SUCK SUCK SUCK. Nu-Metal needs to hurry-up and die already!
Loman nu metal died in 2002 its just all the bands are still about but doing there own thing my thoughts on subliminal verses is its a good album and its certainly stood the test of time but I wasn’t a big fan of this album then I was when all hope is gone came out that was slipknot at its finest
This was the first Slipknot album I ever bought and eventhough I moved on to heavier stuff, this album is still a great listen. Definitely deserves this place, and f**k the genres.
this album is fucking awsome!!!! it reminds me of meetin them at the signing session in vergin megastores london ofrord st. i duality IS 1 of the best tunes to loose ur mind to, fact! and slipknot r the most entertaining amazing live band around!!!!!!