Ranked Worst to Best: Slipknot

In coming back to do these ranking lists, I knew I'd be starting them off with Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, though from there, I was just willing to see where it goes from here. 

I do have a huge list of bands I want to go through and have even made up one of those wheels of fortune when I don't know where to go next. For now though we're going with arguably the biggest metal band in the world right now outside of Metallica. 

This year marks 25 years since the release of their debut album so it feels appropriate to go back and check out their discography in the 25 years they've been around. I have a weird relationship with the band as they were definitely a gateway band into more extreme metal for me, especially around the end of high school, but in recent years I've kind of strayed away from their brand of music, though I do enjoy a few of their tracks now and again. Let me tell you, nothing gets a wedding mosh pit going like 'Duality' on the dancefloor. 

So what's their worst album and what's their best? I definitely know their worst....

7. All Hope is Gone (2008)

This already feels like a bold choice for the worst as I know a good few people that love this album, however no matter how many times I relisten to it, I struggle to get through the full thing. I feel like I should love it more since it came out around the time I became a fan but it's just never clicked with me. 

I wouldn't call it a terrible album or even a bad one as there are a good few highlights to be had such as the concert staple 'Psychosocial', the heartbreaking 'Snuff', or what I consider to be the most underrated Slipknot track ever in the title track closer. 'Dead Memories' does receive a bit of hate but I've always enjoyed it as a bit of a guilty pleasure.

My problem comes from the amount of filler/bad tracks here as there's around 5 that I would skip on a relisten. 'Butcher's Hook' is one of the worst songs they've written and sounds like it came off of a bad PS2 soundtrack. 'Vendetta' is just so dull with a terrible chorus to match. 'This Cold Black' and 'Wherein Lies Continue' are a little better but still totally forgettable and sound thrown together. It doesn't help that they run between 4-6 minutes so it does drag til you get back to the good stuff. 

You can tell that the band were just not in a good place in recording this as the quality is all over the place but you milage may vary. 

Rating: 6/10

Recommended Tracks: 'Psychosocial', 'Snuff', 'All Hope is Gone'

6. The End, So Far (2022)

It felt weird coming back to this one again as I hadn't really checked it out since it came out in 2022 and I bought myself the vinyl for it to keep the collection. At the time I thought it was just a rush job by the band to get out of their record deal with Roadrunner, but it's actually kind of underrated. 

It's a very consistant album with no real bad tracks to drag it down like on some previous releases, though I think it's main issue comes from the fact that there's no real iconic tracks to keep you coming back for more. Outside of the first few tracks you're never gonna really clamber to have much of these added to a Slipknot setlist. After weird intro 'Adderall' (which I used to hate but have developed a soft spot for it's darker undertones) the album definitely peaks with it's first few tracks with stormer 'Dying Song' and the dark as hell 'Yen'. 

From there it's a slightly mixed bag but a good time overall and it doesn't feel as long as it's near hour runtime suggests. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Recommended Tracks: 'Dying Song', 'The Chapeltown Rag', 'Yen'

5. .5: The Gray Chapter (2014)

This is the poor album that often seems labelled as their worst by most fans but I've never really gotten the hate for it. For a start, it feels like the band have gotten a bit of their venom back after the clustered mess that was 'All Hope is Gone' after spending a good bit of time away between albums, and putting their grief to use after losing beloved bassist Paul Gray in 2010

I will admit it does drag a bit in the middle with 'Skeptic', 'Lech', and 'Goodbye' all being forgettable and worth skipping over, and closer 'If Rain is What You Want' isn't much better, but pretty much everything else hits hard. 'The Devil in I' was an instant hit with it's huge chorus, and 'The Negative One' sounds like it came right off their 1999 debut. Not to mention the absolutely memeable 'Custer' that has almost been played to death but is still a good fun time nonetheless. 

Rating: 7.5/10

Recommended Tracks: 'The Devil In I', 'The Negative One', 'Custer'

4. Vol 3. (The Subliminal Verses) (2004)

Now this placement could get me a good bit of hate. There's a lot of people that consider this Slipknot's best but I've just never seen it. Even when I was younger and this was the first Slipknot album I bought, I still didn't think it was amazing. 

Don't get me wrong, this album contains some of their biggest and best songs ever like the eternal metal party classic 'Duality' and the massive 'Before I Forget', not to mention the dark yet beautiful 'Vermilion' including part 2. 

For me there is just a tad too much filler here for me as tracks like 'Circle', 'Welcome', and 'Opium of the People' can be skipped over on a relisten without missing anything, and you can turn the album off once 'The Virus of Life' is over so you don't need to listen to 'Danger: Keep Away'.

A great album for sure, just not an amazing one. 

Rating: 8/10

Recommended Tracks: 'Duality', 'Before I Forget', 'The Blister Exists'

3. We Are Not Your Kind (2019)

I love this album. In 2019 I did not expect Slipknot to make their best album in nearly 20 years but here we are and it still holds up 5 years later. 

It's kind of like 'The End, So Far' with a nice consistancy all the way through, though with much stronger tracks in my opinion like fantastic opener 'Unsainted' and huge closer 'Solway Firth'. The band just feels rejuvenated after a good few years of not feeling like themselves. The only real negatives I have are that tracks like 'My Pain' and 'Not Long for This World' could have been cut down a good bit for a better paced album.

Aside from that this one is pretty much banger after banger.

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommended Tracks: 'Unsainted', 'Nero Forte', 'Solway Firth'

2. Slipknot (1999)

It was pretty tough choosing between the top 2, but I think I made the right choice. I'll never forget buying this album for the first time as a teen after only hearing their newer tracks at the time, and just being absolutely blown away by the first track as I'd never heard anything as heavy or as intense as it before, and really that was probably the point where my interest in more extreme music began. 

The first 5 tracks here are absolute Slipknot essentials and still played on most of their current setlists. The intensity heard on the first track does stay for pretty much the entire album, though I think you could cut tracks like 'Prosthetics', 'Only One' and 'Scissors' to make for a better experience, though thankfully more underrated hits like 'Liberate' and 'No Life' keep the madness coming. 

This one still rules. 

Rating: 9/10

Recommended Tracks: '(sic)', 'Eyeless', 'Wait & Bleed', 'Surfacing', 'Spit It Out'

1. Iowa (2001)

Slipknot's magnum opus that I don't think will ever be topped though I'd love for them to try. This album is everything the first album is with the intensity and darkness somehow turned up even higher. Back when I was going to the gym (a good while ago) this was my go to album to get the adrenaline going.

This is probably the closest they've come to a perfect record though it is let down slightly by the 15 minute title track that just goes on for way too long and could have been cut down to 6/7 minutes quite easily and kind of kills the momentum. At least it's the final track so you can just turn off before it comes on. 

Other than that, pretty much every other track is a Slipknot essential from the anthemic (and my favourite) 'People=Shit' to the underrated and creepy 'Skin Ticket', everything hits here. 

Rating 9.5/10

Recommended Tracks: 'People=Shit', 'Disasterpiece', 'My Plague', 'The Heretic Anthem', 'Left Behind'

Thanks again for reading! I have no idea what band I'll be covering next. Suggestions always welcomed.