All Hope Is Gone
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All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American alternative metal band Slipknot. Released on August 26, 2008 by Roadrunner Records, the album was published in two versions: the standard album in a jewel CD case and a special edition which contains three bonus tracks, a 40-page deluxe booklet, a bonus DVD containing a documentary of the album's conception and is packaged in a six-fold digipak. The album was the first of Slipknot's to reach the number one spot on the Billboard 200, doing so on its debut week.
Preparation of the album was noted to have begun in 2007, and in February 2008 the band began working in the studio. It is the band's first studio album since 2004's Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), making All Hope Is Gone their fourth studio album as well as the first musical output from the band since Corey Taylor and Jim Root's mainstream success with Stone Sour; Joey Jordison's stints with Korn, Ministry and 3 Inches of Blood; Shawn Crahan's side project Dirty Little Rabbits; and Sid Wilson's solo project. All Hope Is Gone is also the band's first studio album released by a major label to be recorded in their home state of Iowa.
Recording and production
Preparation for All Hope Is Gone reportedly began in 2007. Drummer Joey Jordison explains, "I've told them to demo whatever they can so we've got as much material to choose from as possible."[1] In February 2008,[2] Slipknot entered the Sound Farm Studio in Jamaica, Iowa with producer Dave Fortman.[3] Unlike any of their previous albums, All Hope Is Gone was written and recorded in the band's home state of Iowa. Bassist Paul Gray explained that they decided to do this because in Los Angeles—where all their previous albums were produced—there are too many distractions.[4] Band members also revealed that it was good for their mindset being so close to home, in an interview with Kerrang!, vocalist Corey Taylor revealed that he would make a point of driving home every night to see his son.[5] Of the album's production Jordison said, "... it's finally the record that I've wanted Slipknot to sound like." Complimenting Fortman's ear for tone, he explains that he believes that this is the band's best album sonically.[6] The album was mixed by Colin Richardson in the United Kingdom.[7]
Unlike previous releases, all nine band members were involved in the writing process of the album, reportedly writing over 30 songs. Jordison reveals, "I have to say that the band is at its peak; everyone—I mean everyone—is now completely involved in the writing process, and it's a beautiful thing."[3] When questioned about the process, vocalist Taylor explained that the cycle was not met without conflict. He went on to add that the creation of every Slipknot album has had conflict and that the band has come to embrace it, as they realize it is what brings out their creativity.[8] Also, some members of the group separated themselves from the band to write some tracks. Vocalist Taylor and guitarist Jim Root paired up with turntablist Sid Wilson (performing on keyboards) and percussionist Shawn Crahan (who took up full drumming duties) to work on what was described as "oblique, arty pieces".[3] One experiment saw Taylor tracking in an old well, he enthused, "there was this natural reverb to it that was just intense".[3] Crahan would later reveal that none of these tracks made it on to the album. However, one of which, "Til We Die" does appear as a bonus track on the special edition.[9] While the track "Sulfur" was written by Joey Jordison and Jim Root in one evening, percussionist Crahan said that "it's the first time they've ever written a song together".[10] During an interview with LiveDaily, Root expressed some discontent over the process of the record: "... it felt a little bit rushed. And it felt like we were trying to do things just to appease a schedule, which I didn't really like."[11] On the subject of the record's producer, Root went on to say, "Dave Fortman really helped me appreciate Rick Rubin as a producer" and that Fortman "wasn't able to get nine people together on the same page and, to me, that's the most important thing in making a Slipknot record".[11]
Promotion
It rumored that, due to the members being unmasked in their side projects, Slipknot was going to be recording and touring this album unmasked. However, these rumors were dismissed by many band members. Percussionist Shawn Crahan addressed this issue during an interview on The Sauce when discussing the release of their 2006 DVD release Voliminal: Inside the Nine.[12] Bassist Paul Gray confirmed during an interview that the band will be returning with a new image; regarding the masks, he stated, "It'll still be Slipknot, but we're gonna upgrade, step things up a little."[13] Beginning on April 1, 2008, Slipknot's official website displayed splash teasers to promote All Hope Is Gone.[14] Ten teaser trailers were released. The first nine displayed the band in their large purgatory masks; however the last of which featured a darkened photograph of the band with their new masks.[15] Slipknot premiered their new masks on July 1, 2008 through AOL Music's Spinner.com; eight million people logged onto the site to view the masks on the first day.[16]
On June 15, a 30-second sample and cover art from the album's title track, "All Hope Is Gone", was made available on Amazon.com.[17] The title track began airplay on the same day, and on June 20, for a single day, Roadrunner Records posted a download-able version of the title track, in its entirety, for free download and was released as a digital single soon after. The second single from the album, "Psychosocial", began airplay on June 26 and was released as a digital single on July 7.[18]
The album cover art and track listing was released on July 8,[19] the day before the band started their first tour since 2005 on the Mayhem Festival across the United States. The Mayhem Festival lasted until August 16. Slipknot was scheduled to appear at Reading and Leeds Festivals in England, the Two Days a Week Festival in Austria and the Area4 Festival in Germany.[20] However, Joey Jordison broke his ankle and the European tour dates were canceled.[21][22] Prior to the release of All Hope Is Gone, copies of the album intended for reviewers were pressed under the false name "Rusty Cage", in order to reduce risks of the album leaking onto the Internet.[23] Through August 17-19, Kerrang! magazine held six special listening events spanning the United Kingdom. These events included a preview of the documentary supplied with special editions of the album, Nine: The Making of All Hope Is Gone, as well as free merchandise.[24]
Musical style
Prior to the release of the album, band members displayed interest in making it their heaviest album to date. During an interview with Kerrang! drummer Jordison said, "It's going to be heavier than 'Vol. 3...' but just as weird and as experimental."[1] Vocalist Taylor reiterated this when he described All Hope Is Gone as a "very dark" combination of the band's two most recent studio albums, Iowa and Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses).[25] On All Hope Is Gone Slipknot expanded on their use of traditional song structures, acoustics and solos that they first introduced on their previous album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). The track "Snuff" is predominantly led by acoustic guitars and has been dubbed as Slipknot's attempt at a "power ballad", though it still remains "dark and omnious".[26] In an interview with Artistdirect, percussionist Shawn Crahan stated, "Everyone can feel the pain that's in there. It's not forced upon you. You have it in there innately."[10] However, the band also retained their metal edge which is reminiscent of their earlier work. Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that "Gematria (The Killing Name)" goes from "a cluster of cacophony" to "an onslaught of densely dark intricate riffs."[27] While Crahan compared it to that of "(sic)" from their debut album explaining, "the technique and the style are very reminiscent of the old, brutal shit that we've done."[10] While Jim Kaz of IGN stated that the "swaggering, cock-rock groove and an anthemic chorus" of "Psychosocial" gives Slipknot the potential to reach out to new fans "without sacrificing a lick of intensity."[28] Crahan stated he "loves" his parts of "Psychosocial", in which they incorporated snare drums, reminiscent of "Before I Forget".[10] He also cited "This Cold Black" as one of his favorite songs saying that it has a "driving tempo and a lot of attitude".[10] The track "Gehenna" incorporates elements of Slipknot's slower, more cerebral edge reminiscent of "Prosthetics" and "Purity" from their debut album, and "Skin Ticket" from Iowa. Crahan called it a "trippy song", explaining that "it's just somewhere we go."[10]
Lyrical themes
During an interview in 2008, vocalist Corey Taylor explained that the phrase "All Hope Is Gone" is aimed at fans expectations of the band, stating "just when you thought you had us figured out, give up all hope because you're never, ever going to."[29][30] Throughout the album Taylor incorporated a considerably larger focus on politics in his lyrics, compared to that of Slipknot's previous albums. The opening track, ".execute." features Taylor's interpretation of—former US Vice President—Spiro Agnew’s infamous speech targeted at Vietnam War protesters.[26] The second track "Gematria (the Killing Name)" follows in the same vein, during an interview with Kerrang!, Taylor discussed the lyrical content of the song, explaining, "there are a lot of people who are disguising politics as religion and dictating taste and turning it into policy. And that hurts me."[30] Reviewing for IGN, Jim Kaz said the track lyrically gives the listener a "heaping dose of Corey Taylor's caustic bravado".[28] On the track "Wherein Lies Continue" Taylor offers a "dressing down of the world as we know it", explaining that "it kinda goes up against any civilization that takes themselves way too seriously and where the 'leaders' are so pretentious that they think they are deemed to speak for the people."[30] Taylor also proclaimed that "it wouldn't be a Slipknot album if I didn't rag on the recording industry." On "Butcher's Hook" Taylor targets specifically "all those little emo boys", further explaining; "people give us shit for wearing outfits, but all of those guys look exactly the same."[30] Other tracks include themes such as anger, disaffection, obsession and reflection.[30]
Critical reception
All Hope Is Gone was generally well received by critics. Anticipation for the band's fourth studio album began upon the release of Slipknot's previous album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), when Allmusic stated, "there's a sense that whatever Slipknot do next might be their ultimate broadcast to the faithful."[31] Upon the album's release Allmusic's reviewer, Stephen Erlewine, wrote that the early "cluster of cacophony" of ""Gematria" is "So effective...that when things do get a little softer a little later on, the album threatens to collapse like a soufflé."[32] Although Erlewine went on to state "one more power ballad like ["Snuff"] would be enough to derail the album" he gave the overall rating of four out of five stars.[32] Darren Sadler of Rock Sound wrote that with the making of the album, Slipknot "raised their collective middle fingers, and created an album that stands out head and shoulders above everything else that will be released this year." He compared the sound of the album to bands including Stone Sour, Morbid Angel, and Meshuggah; giving the overall score of 9 out of 10.[33] Ryan Ogle of Blabbermouth.net gave All Hope Is Gone 7.5 out of 10 stars, stating that fan's views of the "diversity" of the album will be Slipknot's "saving grace, or their misfortune." He concluded, "While it may not be as jaw-dropping or revolutionary as some might have hoped, it's by no means a bad release."[34] Reviewing for Blender, writer Darren Ratner observed a different "theme" in the lyrics in comparrison to previous Slipknot albums, stating that the band is able to "make ugliness sound just a little bit pretty."[35] Marc Weingarten of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating, calling All Hope Is Gone "a metal assault-and-battery on the hypocrisies of the modern world."[36] Jim Kaz of IGN stated that the band's attempt to move from nu-metal to "more classic metal elements" was "the best career move they could've made."[28] Kaz gave All Hope Is Gone a score of 8.1 out of 10, writing that it "effectively [builds] upon the band's collective strengths."[28]
The percussive edge on the album was praised by Rolling Stone reviewer Chris Steffen, "the band’s multiple percussionists generate a din that’s more suffocating than ever" on the track "Gematria".[37] He went on to propose that "Snuff" the "most melodic" song on the album, comparing it to "Circle" of Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses).[37] Steffen also wrote that Psychosocial is capped off with a time-signature shattering guitar/drum breakdown that will leave the best air-instrumentalists stumped."[37] The album was praised by Total Guitar writer Nick Cracknell, who declared the effort, "Slipknot's heaviest and most aggressive work to date."[38] He compared "Dead Memories" to the works of Alice in Chains, while praising "Gehenna" for being the band's "most experimental work in their history."[38] He went on to state "Wherein Lies Continue" contains a "huge chugging verse riff" which evolves into an "incredible soaring chorus."[38] Dan Martin of The Guardian compared "Dead Memories" to "Enter Sandman", while calling "Gematria (The Killing Name)" a work of "astonishingly dense thrash."[39] Martin gave the album four out of five stars.[39] In his criticism of the album John Doran of The Quietus called "This Cold Black" the song's heaviest track, "Imagine dropping a 3ft wide, solid steel manhole cover on your bollocks and then having a Panzer full of cybermen drive backwards and forwards over it."[40] He compared the overall sound of the album to "a mess of shards" and cited "Snuff" as "absolute garbage."[40]
Sales and impact
All Hope Is Gone was Slipknot's first album to debut at the top position on the Billboard 200 album chart, outselling LAX from The Game by 1,134 units.[41] Initially Billboard published an article stating that The Game had secured the top spot with a margin of 13 units, in what was described as the "closest race for number one since SoundScan began tracking Data in 1991."[42] However 12 hours later—after a recount—the article was rewritten and Slipknot were awarded the number one spot, selling 239,516 units.[42] It reached the number two spot in the United Kingdom, topped only by The Verve's album, Forth.[43] The album also debuted at the number one spot in eight other charts across the world.[44] On December 9, 2008 All Hope Is Gone was certified Gold in the United States,[45] furthermore it has been certified Gold in the United Kingdom and Australia.[46][47] "Psychosocial", the bands second single from the album, brought Slipknot their first MTV Video Music Awards nomination for Best Rock Video,[48] as well as their seventh Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards.[49] In December 2008, All Hope Is Gone was awarded the number one spot in Total Guitar's "50 Best Guitar Albums of the Year".[50]
Track listing
- ".execute." – 1:49
- "Gematria (The Killing Name)" – 6:01
- "Sulfur" – 4:37
- "Psychosocial" – 4:43
- "Dead Memories" – 4:28
- "Vendetta" – 5:15
- "Butcher's Hook" – 4:14
- "Gehenna" – 6:53
- "This Cold Black" – 4:40
- "Wherein Lies Continue" – 5:36
- "Snuff" – 4:36
- "All Hope Is Gone" – 4:44
Special edition bonus tracks
- "Child of Burning Time" – 5:10
- "Vermilion, Pt. 2" (Bloodstone mix) – 3:39
- "'Til We Die" – 5:46
Bonus DVD
The special edition of the album includes a DVD containing a 35-minute documentary directed by percussionist Shawn Crahan about the album's conception and recording, titled Nine: The Making of All Hope Is Gone.[51] The documentary features footage from photo shoots and time in the studio, including the recording of parts of "Child of Burning Time", "Dead Memories", "Snuff", "Vendetta", "This Cold Black", "Psychosocial", and "Sulfur".[52]
Chart positions
Personnel
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See also
References
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- ^ a b c d Epstein, Dan (2008). "Wait and Bleed". Revolver: pp. 54–6.
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(help) - ^ Wilcox, Daniel (2008-07-16). "The Great Rock News Report". 411mania. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ "Exclusive Podcast: Slipknot's Corey Taylor Raises the Flag Before Setting it Aflame". MTV. 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Harris, Chris (2008-07-21). "Slipknot's Clown Unmasks Band's Trademark Look: How Often Are Those Masks Cleaned Anyway?". MTV. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rick Florino (2008-08-25). "Interview: Slipknot (Track-by-Track)". Artistdirect. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
- ^ a b "LiveDaily Interview: Jim Root of Slipknot". LiveDaily. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
- ^ "Shawn Crahan Interview". The Sauce. 2007-04-23.
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(help) - ^ "Slipknot: First Glimpse At New Masks". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ "Slipknot official site". 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
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(help) - ^ "Slipknot: New Single Sample, Artwork Available". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
- ^ "Slipknot To Release Free Single On Friday". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
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- ^ "A Statement from Slipknot" (Press release). Roadrunner Records. 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
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- ^ "Slipknot, hear the new album first". Kerrang!. 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
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(help) - ^ Peters, Mitchell (2008-05-13). "Taylor: New Slipknot Album Will 'Rip Your Face Off'". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
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(help) - ^ a b Darren Sadler (2008-08-25). "Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
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(help) - ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "All Hope Is Gone". Review. Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ a b c d Jim Kaz (2008-08-26). "Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ "Corey Taylor: Metal Hammer exclusive". Metal Hammer. 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e "Corey's All Hope Is Gone track by track". Kerrang!. 2008-07-19. pp. 6–7.
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(help) - ^ Johnny Loftus. "Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses - Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "All Hope Is Gone - Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
- ^ Darren Sadler. "Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone". Rock Sound. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
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(help) - ^ Ryan Ogle. "All Hope Is Gone (Roadrunner)". CD reviews. Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ Darren Ratner (2008-08-26). "All Hope Is Gone - Slipknot". Review. Blender. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
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(help) - ^ Marc Weingarten (2008-08-29). "All Hope is Gone". Music Review. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
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(help) - ^ a b c Chris Steffen (2008-06-08). "New Slipknot Album: A First Listen to "All Hope Is Gone"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
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(help) - ^ a b c Nick Cracknell (2008-07-24). "Slipknot: Preview Of All Hope Is Gone". Total Guitar. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
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(help) - ^ a b Martin, Dan (2008-08-10). "Rock review: Slipknot, All Hope Is Gone". Pop and Rock. The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
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(help) - ^ a b John Doran (2008-08-13). "Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone Not Just A Clever Name..." The Quietus. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ Hasty, Katie (2008-09-03). "Slipknot Edges The Game Atop Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
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(help) - ^ a b "Radio 1 Chart Show". BBC. 2008-08-31. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ See "Chart positions" for specific citations.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
- ^ "Accreditations - 2008 albums". ARIA. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ James Montgomery (2008-09-03). "Britney Spears Wins Video Of The Year - And Other VMA Predictions, In Bigger Than The Sound". MTV. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
- ^ "Metallica, Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe, Slipknot, Disturbed Among Grammy Nominees "". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
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(help) - ^ "Slipknot Announce Special Edition Album". Metal Hammer. 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
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(help) - ^ Shawn Crahan (Director) (2008). Nine: The Making of All Hope Is Gone (DVD). Roadrunner Records.
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(help) - ^ "Australian chart". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "Suche nach: Slipknot". AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "All Hope Is Gone is #1!!". Sparkart. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
- ^ "European Top 100 Albums". Billboard. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
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(help) - ^ "IRMA - Irish Charts". IRMA. 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
- ^ "Japan - Top Albums Chart". Allcharts.org. 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Search for: Slipknot". DutchCharts.nl. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
- ^ "Search for: Slipknot". PortugueseCharts.com. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
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