.5: The Gray Chapter acts as kind of a retrospective of Slipknot's career so far. There are clear elements from all four of their previous records present here and it gives the record a consistently-shifting tone that none of Slipknot's previous work has had. .5: The Gray Chapter has everything from tender ballads ("Goodbye", "If Rain is What You Want") to borderline radio-friendly alternative rock ("The Devil in I", "The One That Kills the Least") to aggressive, angst-ridden anthems that make their classic songs like "Surfacing" and "My Plague" ("Custer", "Lech") sound modest in comparison wrapped up in a relatively tight 62-minute package. Covering so much diverse musical ground in the course of a single album sounds a bit messy on paper, but they are able to pull it off without it sounding too jarring or forced. Slipknot has never been a band that tries to go in a bunch of different directions with their music, so to see them do it here was quite refreshing
It's evident that making this record triggered a lot of different emotions for the band and they put all of them- no matter ugly or dark they are -into this record. Losing someone you love under tragic circumstances brings up a wide-range of emotions, and Slipknot spends this album perfectly articulating that. Of course with this being Slipknot, those emotions are sometimes peppered with obscenity and juvenile lyrics, but they're genuine nonetheless. Even on the couple of tracks that don't work at all (the aforementioned "Lech" and "If Rain is What You Want"), you still have to admire their efforts because the heart of the music is so authentic.
.5: The Gray Chapter is at its best when simultaneously balancing the heavy and experimental elements. Album standout "Killpop" delights with its eerie, subdued verses and bursts of explosive heaviness throughout. "Killpop" also serves as Corey Taylor's best vocal performance on the entire record. Even at age 40, Taylor still displays one of the most impressive vocal ranges in the business. There are some higher notes that he can't hit anymore, but for the most part his voice hasn't dipped too much in quality in the 15 years since the release of their debut album. Tracks like "Sarcastrophe", "Nomadic" and "AOV" offer up similar dynamic pleasures with lengthy melodic guitar sections, punchy riffs, blast beats from their anonymous new drummer and Taylor conjuring up some screams that he hasn't pulled out since their 2001 LP Iowa. There are plenty of great pure heavy and melodic moments on this record, but .5: The Gray Chapter is only truly brilliant when it mixes the two together within the same song.
.5: The Gray Chapter is a very satisfying output from these masked metal veterans. It's not anything groundbreaking and there are spots where it's way too over-the-top with angst even by Slipknot standards, but it more than makes up for its flaws with its overwhelmingly genuine emotional core and consistently diverse musical offerings. Given all the member changeover, behind-the scenes-drama and long gap between albums, it's very impressive that Slipknot was able to make an album that is this ambitious and features so much great material. Wherever Paul Gray is right now, there's no doubt in my mind that he's elated with how the album that was made in his honor turned out. .5: The Gray Chapter isn't even close to the best album Slipknot has ever produced , but it's certainly the most impassioned. If nothing else, it proves that this band is showing no signs of slowing down as they approach the 20th anniversary of their formation.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Killpop
2.Nomadic
3.AOV
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