Part IV

After a successful debut album, does this album compare with the self-titled album? Surely enough, yes. It's not that great, but some people rather this album than the first one. I first thought so, but then I heard this album with Slipknot, and I'm sorry, but Slipknot is better. Well, this album is good nonetheless. Although, while making this album, the band was going through many difficulties. The band members took a small break from the first album and they all had either an alcohol addiction or drug addiction. All of those messed them up, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Yet, they still gave us what we wanted. More. This is Slipknot's 3rd main album Iowa.

"Iowa" 2001

1- (515)

Vomiting, screaming, yelling, and distortion. That's what you get in this one minute song. It's a great intro for the album, because the next song goes great with this song.

2- People = Shit

Now, this a good song. Only thing is, it gets boring. It keeps on saying "People equal shit" and that's it. Okay, they do have other lyrics, but they made their point of saying people equal poop by the title. There isn't any need for the continuous phrase to be said. Other than that, it's an okay song.

3- Disasterpiece

I for one like this song. I know some people who just skip through this song because they don't really like this particular song. I, for one, do like it. I mean, I can see why people don't like it, it's not that great. But I like the lyrics, especially the chorus. "Noises, noises, people make noises. People make noises when they're sick. Nothing to do except hold onto nothing." There is a part in this song where it just slows down. It doesn't really need to be slowed down, but oh well, they did it, and made it sound alright.

4- My Plague

I love this song. That's it. It's just so awesome in every way. There is a mix of this song that was put on the 2002 "Resident Evil" film soundtrack. The mix is called "My Plague (New Abuse Mix)" but the song in the album isn't it. This is the original one, and way better than any mix. It is also meant to be heard in full volume, it's so hard and fulfilling.

5- Everything Ends

This is a great song to let out some emotional problems. Whether it be a girl of your dreams cheating on you, or you're being bullied at school, or even if you want to blow off some steam. All in all, this is a good song. Not great though, because it's saying the same thing over and over again, but oh well. "I haven't slept since I woke up and found my whole life was a lie, motherfucker!"

6- The Heretic Anthem

Once I turned heretic, I started to actually think this song to be my anthem. All jokes aside, this song is trying to prove a point. People talk shit about other people, judging them and saying who they are. Thing is, they're just wrong. When that one person goes fact to face to the shit talker, the person doesn't have anything to say because the crap they've been talking about is just bull crap. They have nothing to say, so there isn't a reason why to talk crap. Just shut up and let them be.

7- Gently

This is the remake of the "Gently" in the M.F.K.R. album. It is said that during the making of this song, Corey cut himself and was sent to a dark room naked and they recorded everything he was saying after being in the room for 15 minutes. He started to talk to himself, and the audio for that is in the beginning. Once they had him in that room for 30 minutes, he started yelling to himself, and that's the audio that you get after the low volume talk. After that, they stood him up, waited for him to clean himself up and they started recording this song. When I had my "moments" back in the day, I would always listen to this song just to say the beginning lyrics, "Gently, my mind escapes into the relaxing world of pleasure, a pleasure that'll take my mind off the realities of my life, my past life...life as I know it now." I would then scream my heart out when that part ends and the song continues. It would honestly help me relax a bit with the problems I was going through.

8- Left Behind

This song is for those people who feel they are being left behind. The video for this song is awesome, it's about a kid who goes through life being alone. He seems like a 12 or 13 year old who has a job being a butcher. The kid goes to his home, and it starts raining. He then goes down a basement lives there forever. In addition, Slipknot had a goat with them throughout the whole recording, which is why you see a goat head in the album cover. Well, they made this song for the goat, meaning that this song is what the goat thought when it saw the many sides of Slipknot when they were making this album.

9- The Shape

I don't hear much about this song. It's okay, no lie, but it's one of those songs you don't listen to as much because it isn't exactly out there. Well, if you do like it, I can see why. It has it's sneaky elements to it, and the lyrics are alright as well. Again, this song isn't really heard as much. But if it was, then you can see alot of people talking about it.

10- I Am Hated

One of my favorite songs in this album. When I first heard this song, I couldn't get it out of repeat in my iPod for a good 2 weeks or so. I always wanted to try and do the drum track for this song, but I always fail since Joey Jordison is a beast. Well, it's a statement for everyone who thinks they wanna be someone else. You shouldn't want to be someone else, you are who you are. "Now, I'm not pretty and I'm not cool, but I'm fat and I'm ugly and proud - so fuck you." I agree with those lyrics because I feel like I'm 'fat and ugly', but I'm proud of who I am, I don't care what anyone says.

11- Skin Ticket

I don't like this song as much. This song and the next one aren't that great. I mean, it has it's good moments, but in general, they're both pretty bad. For example, this song doesn't really need such a long intro. It doesn't really add in with the rest of the song. It sounds boring until the good part comes up, and even then, after the good part, it gets boring again. But it shouldn't be boring at all, but oh well.

12- New Abortion

Another song I don't really like. I never got into it, that's why. I've heard it many times, but I just don't think it's that great. For the rest of the album, it's like this song and Skin Ticket are just two 2 pieces of cotton in a land full of shards of glass. It just doesn't seem that right. The song is okay, but it doesn't really compete and compare with the other songs in this album.

13- Metabolic

Now this is a good song. It knocks down Skin Ticket and New Abortion. Pure drums, percussion, and screaming. The guitars are in there, yes, but you have to say that this song is all for Joey Jordison, Shawn Crahan, and Chris Fehn. This is a song everyone should listen to.

14- Iowa

This 15 minute epic consists of pure randomness. It's trying to resemble Killers Are Quiet/Dogfish Rising from the end of M.F.K.R. Thing is, this song is way more creepier than the M.F.K.R. version, so I find this one to be better. There aren't any ridiculous sayings and it isn't exactly as random as Dogfish Rising, but it still has an element of which you can feel the eeriness this song has compared to the M.F.K.R. version. This version is mostly about emotional feelings, and once you have gone deep in your body, soul, and mind, you can see where everything is. It is mostly about feelings towards someone, and the emotional feelings you find in your body, it is saying what you want to say, but you can't. This song has everything you want to say. "You are mine, you will always be mine; I can tear you apart; I can recombine you; All I want is to covet you all; You belong to me; I will kill you to love you."

Well, overall, this album is a 9 out of 10. Many say this album is heavier than any other album they have made, and it's true. But my personal taste, their self-titled is better but this album comes into second place. It is pretty heavy and it has it's awesome moments as well as it's okay moments. If you are consider buying this album, do it. It's well worth it and once you're done with it, you'll feel completely different with yourself. I know it happened to me.

Until next time, goodbye.