aaamusic | On 27, Nov 2014

So, Slipknot – one of my favourite bands (maybe in my top 20?) – have a new album out…

I’m just gonna go ahead and say I was not hopeful when I heard the first release from The Gray Chapter. I did not like ’The Negative One’ very much, but we’re listening to a different song today. ‘The Devil In I’ is at the opposite end of the scale.

After an effected guitar fades the song in, the real intro starts and it’s heavy and energetic. Perfect. The following riff (also the chorus riff) is slower, then faster, and you can definitely bang your head and jump along to it. The makings of a classic Slipknot song. And then it changes. We’re left with light percussion, clean guitars strumming slow chords, the bass and the haunting voice of Corey Taylor. Think back to ‘Gehenna’ and ‘Skin Ticket’. Just like them, we get a chorus beginning with a screamed lyric followed by some singing. Taylor showing that he still has one of the best voices in metal.

The simple structure isn’t even an issue because of how interesting the sections of the song are. This is a really powerful and dynamic song that draws influences from their back catalogue, but also demonstrates some new ones.

Slipknot are back on top form with this song…

Jake Parker