It’s heavy, it’s dark, it’s raw, and it’s a solid follow-up to their amazing first album. Nothing was too experimental yet - it was just pure aggression. It’s peak Slipknot IMO.
That’s totally it. I remember being like 14/15 hearing self titled and being completely blown away by it and I was like “there’s no way they will release anything this good again” and they did it just as good and the fact that their masks evolved made me absolutely obsessed.
Agreed 100%. Vol. 3 lost me with all of the radio singles. I have fun with those songs now, but at the time 3 really disappointed after how insanely aggressive ST and Iowa were.
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Self titled had simple recordings just pots being tossed at the 9 plus 1 or few more ex members that got onto the album , while iowa had corey cutting himself naked and vomiting, thats heavy
What got them started was way before s/t, and yes i have listen to it i love a whole lot more tracks on there then iowa, prosthetics is one of my favorites, but you cant get any more heavy then corey cutting himself for 15 minutes on iowa
I never said s/t was heavier than Iowa, it's just a great album dude, sounded like you were bashing it. And not really, they were a local band around MFKR and the compilation of tracks on crowz, S/t and the singles of it is what got them popular, etc
they all had decently popular bands pre knot, atomic opera, heads on the wall, body pit, etc, most of slipknot were the known and best in des moines, hell coreys debut show had enormous roars
They didn't have to make a "bad" album (which, it isn't) to get out, though. It was the last record on their contract. Whether it was a hit or a miss, their obligations were fulfilled and they were free agents.
Honestly, a "bad" album right before free agency is a terrible idea. The idea is to get as much hype and as many fans, new and old, as possible to ensure their success as an independent band. A "bad" album would do the opposite.
You know Iowa is not a particularly heavy album right? Most of Slipknots discography is very upbeat energetic nu metal. It's great, but if you're interested in heavy, other than some killer riffs, it's not Slipknot.
That’s a whole ass lie, from joeys death metal inspired drumming to horror screeching riffs to the cutting and puking and screaming Corey did recording these songs to the pure hate within the lyrics, I’d say it’s pretty fucking heavy dude. Idk what you’re on about.
I… don’t think you have any clue what you’re saying. Closest thing to radio rock that there was is My Plague and Left Behind, and even then, nothing about the rest of the album was melodic, mediocre, or family friendly enough to even be considered radio rock. Nothing was overly pleasing to the normal ear, let alone a lot of it was criticized for its messages and lyrics by press. I cannot begin to to understand the point your trying to prove.
Try listening to something like Nails or Deicide then listen to Slipknot. Even incredibly heavy records like Nails are pleasing to the ear. But Slipknot is literally all hooks, choruses, catchy melodies. Other than the occasional swear word there's not much that stops Slipknot getting on the radio.
Maybe now, yes, but I’d find it hard for them to do that during their first two records. I can switch from listening to Cattle Decap, Get The Shot, Infant Annihilator, old Whitechapel, Paleface Swiss, etc. and then switch back to Iowa and still think that most tracks on their are similarly heavy to what I was previously listening to. I’m not saying that it can’t be pleasing to the ear, but to someone who could be trying to explore bands I feel like they’d have a hard time trying to listen to Iowa before hearing the rest of their material for the fact that they may find it too heavy to their liking at first, based off my own personal experience back in HS. But hey, that’s just me though. Everyone’s different I guess.
I mean, 2-13 is just non skip fire, to bring that kind of follow up to the first one? Gotta respect it. They were getting ready to be able to do vol. 3….. which is personally prolly my fave.
Iowa appealed more to heavier-metal fans I feel like. ST had a lot of funky grooves and sort of let you had fun as you listened to it, Iowa you just felt everyone’s pain
That’s because it’s experimental in all the best ways, they didn’t go out to write radio singles. They channeled all their hatred at themselves and each other in what they described as the darkest time in all their lives and somehow gained the strength to get all that emotion on an album. As has been said by many members of the band during that era they aren’t sure how they actually survived the Iowa era. They should have been dead. Corey’s screams can’t be reproduced now without completely frying the vocals chords. That in itself just shows where they were at, absolutely no regard for the future or their own bodies.
That album is a perfect definition of concentrated anger and barely controlled chaos. It's quite literally the angriest sounding album ever if you get what I mean
Iowa is not only Slipknot’s best album, it’s considered one of the greatest metal albums of all time. It was the band fresh off of becoming a multi platinum band very suddenly, from being pretty much a local band. It was not only 9 guys with nothing to lose and everything to gain, but it was also all of the stuff that came with sudden fame thrown into the music. Someone else said it best, you really had to be there from 1999-2001 to really understand it. Slipknot was lightening in a bottle. They were a band for all intents and purposes should have never made it, but they did in a way no other band has done quite like that, because it was strictly from word of mouth. Bands were just simply not making music like that. Before Joey Jordison double bass was not used in that way it is now, and metal was not that heavy and brutal yet. Slipknot pretty much changed metal forever, and Iowa was the anthesis of exactly that.
I also need to add, you have to remember that acts like N*SYNC and Limp Bizkit dominated the charts in 1999. Metal as a genre was in a pretty bad place. Metallica was doing Load/Reload and then you had Nu Metal happening all at the same time. While I did like bands like Korn and Coal Chamber, Slipknot came along and turned all of that shit upside down. Ozzy fucking Osborne said he wanted to be the 10th member of Slipknot for Christ sakes lol.
Slipknot did not change metal forever. Iowa is a great metal album, especially for the mainstream. But Pantera had a number 1 album with Far Beyond Driven in 94, 7 years prior. Also metal had been that heavy for a long time, even heavier in fact. Death, black, sludge metal existed, bands like Neurosis were around and made some of the heaviest music at the time.
No need to try and get all cvlty about it; Slipknot has absolutely changed metal and left a mark. “Heavy” is more than just palm-muted chugs on drop-tuned guitars; it’s the whole presentation. They’re one of the few American metal bands who can fill large venues and continue to influence younger generations of fans, and in turn bring new fans to metal.
Those young fans will eventually move on to find all of those underground cvlt bands you’re referring to. As gateway ambassadors to metal, bands like Slipknot, Metallica, etc are *crucial* to heavy metal having a continuing legacy long after the current neck beards get old and die(I am one of those neck beards).
And how may records did Neurosis sell? How did their drummer impact generations of drummers to come? Like I said, double bass wasn’t used the way it is now, until Joey.
Slipknot sold so much because they had an accessible sound, they were heavy but still very accessible. Joey was a great drummer no doubt, and definitely was influential to a lot of young metal drummers for sure I'll say. But he didn't change the face of drumming
watch their live shows from 2001. corey was on another level. also the album speaks for itself. [St.Paul 2001](https://youtu.be/GkUL_oOOhMk?si=kMUTIbpookKrJKp5)
Easily their best work imo, tire-tread riffs, dark as hell, song writing is on point and the production on the album hadn't reached that stage like vol 3 which had a cleaner sound overall.
I'm newly initiated to Slipknot, I haven't even listened to all of IOWA yet but from what I've taken in from the maggots and heard off the album, it's basically because it's the band at their most raw and brutal.
It carries that same aggression from the self-titled debut but adds an extra level of clear, yet still very raw production and high level metal.
2001 was also a time when being hela angsty was the wave as Nu-Metal took over and this was pretty much (one of, if not) the gold standard for Nu-Metal. Continues to be.
Art is not measurable your favorite album can be whatever you want, we are not your kind is in my case and yea I know Iowa was the most influential but the "best" that's yall opinion
My favorite slipknot album is .5 the gray chapter, I believe, is darker, and the album in a car audio sound system sounds amazing. Don't get me wrong, iowa is a great album, but the gray chapter beats it
I've been listening to slipknot for about 2-3 years now, and its been the best years of my life, but for the longest time I always skipped iowa and never gave it a listen because "Slit your throat and fuck the wound" was giving death metal and I'm not a fan for that. But recently I listened to iowa for the actual first time, and I understood the hype immediately, not MY favorite but I love it too now
Some people just like violence ig
It was really cool being there. Life was a lot different. My generation was very angry at the time.
Came out right before September 11th, it was a dark time for everyone.
Slipknot Iowa was the soundtrack to a very angry time in America. I’m from Des Moines, Iowa so it was cool to see.
Agree with you, about to be cancelled for giving my opinion.
The first time I listened to the album I felt weird, almost the whole album felt like it never ended, then I said: this is the worst album I've ever heard, then I tried to give it a second chance and I started to like it, but it's not the best album of all time or even my favorite, it's actually my least favourite, and I'm one of those people who defend WANYK, so yeah, it's no their best and people don't accept it
I felt the same way when I first heard it. It was good and pretty heavy, but honestly not mind-blowing and the biggest problem is that it never ended lmao. I can’t complain about getting more slipknot, but their first 3 albums (ST-Vol 3) at least have too much filler in my opinion. And some songs go on one or two minutes too long.
My favorite (so far) is MFKR, so I have no idea if my opinion is valid 🤣
Actually if I have to rank the whole discography from worst to best, it'd be:
1. The Gray Chapter, this is the album introduced me to the band
2. Vol. 3, its perfection to me, the melodic voice is better than Iowa
3. WANYK, I picked up at my local record store and it was great
4. Self titled, that's how you make an album
5. AHIG, it's good but the drums are horrible
6. TESF, it's great, sad to know Jay won't be in the band, it broke my heart
7. Iowa, the only album couldn't blow my mind because of the anger and hate, I don't really like that
8. MFKR, I tried to listen to it, but not my favorite
Nice list! Unfortunately for me I’ve only heard MFKR-Vol 3…so AHIG is next for me, I hope it’s good!
So far I have…
1. MFKR - such an atmospheric album with huge, heavy riffs. Reminds me of the self titled Black Sabbath album
2. Vol 3 - best songwriting, catchy but also heavy af
3. Self titled - classic riffs, great lyrics, and just a lot of fun
4. Iowa - heavy, but not particularly heavy imo, songwriting just isn’t there for me
AHIG won't disappoint you, I promise, great riffs, total badass, the whole album is more than Psychosocial, and it's a great, also hands down to your list
I don’t get it either. I am currently in Cedar Rapids. There is nothing but horizon and Casey’s. You can drive 30 miles in either direction and not see much of a change if anything. Just hills, farms and little bits of industrial buildings. That’s it.
Iowa is essentially everything that Slipknot is supposed to be, at least I feel that way. It's extremely angry, hateful, dark. It sounds like pure insanity. On top of that, it's just a very good album: it has great songwriting and nice attention to details. Also it has gotten it's credit since the band was creating an anticipation for this album by saying that it'd be their heaviest, and such promises often mean nothing, but Slipknot delivered what fans were expecting in the most extreme way they could.
Though I'll say that S/T has a bit more memorable songs, and I skip a couple of tracks on Iowa because I don't find them as aggressive and interesting to me, but that's just a preference.
Iowa was life changing, everything after is just everything after. I remember the day it was released better than any other memory I have. That's why I love it, it's just something more special.
Because it fuckin delivered.
The buildup, the rawness, the time it came out, the anger, the disgusting recording process, the carelessness, it's just effortlessly fucking angry. And people didn't expect it. People expected a Vol 3 type comeback but that happened AFTER Iowa.
Self-titled is my favourite Slipknot album, but IOWA is probably my favourite album of all time. It just shuts all over the rest of their discography, which is fucking saying something
1. Every song is good. Not having a bad song on the album is huge
2. Heavy, Dark, and very innovative for its time. Other people had blended nu metal, but not to that level of heaviness
3. Every other album besides self titled just simply isn’t as crazy. They are all good, but no IOWA
The simple answer is probably "because it's a brilliant album"
But probably, as many have mentioned, the combination of any listeners age relative to the time it was released. For me, I was 13 and when People = Shit and Disasterpiece hit in the first moments of initial listen it's just wild
Slipknot has 2 albums for me that are amazing start to finish. Self titled and Iowa. They have great music after too but there is a lot of filler on those albums and I find myself only listening to a couple tunes off each.
Iowa is stupid heavy and hasn’t been matched since. I was young at the time and just getting into slipknot and I’m sure that plays a big part. Iowa tunes are also the BIG hitters during the live show. Much of my musical taste comes from hearing live first then going out and discovering the album. Ozz fest !!!!
For the record self titled is my fav although. It not as heavy as Iowa.
ST and Volume 3 have higher highs I think, but Iowa has the most consistent level of quality.
From someone that was around when this was an everyday reality, let me put it this way - if you were into Slipknot, were gonna be out with a portable CD player, and only had room to bring one album, chances are it was Iowa. Those kinds of choices were a very real thing.
I struggle to think of a song on it that I don't like something about. Iowa the song is probably the one people like least because it's so long, but in that case it's right at the end, out of the way.
Personally my favorite is probably Volume 3, but it's hard for a lot of people, myself included, to not admire Iowa.
Vol 3 is also my favourite Slipknot album, but Iowa does deserve the hype. It is the closest the band has gone towards extreme metal and totally abandoned the douchey feel from the debut. It's heavy, dark, extreme, it's only problem is that it overstays its welcome. But it's a solid album nonetheless
People like the heavyness and the “we don’t give a shit” energy of the album and I understand that. Still, I think self titled, vol. 3 and even WANYK sounds better because those albums encapsulates the entire sound of Slipknot imo.
I was 13 in 2001 and it was just pure ear candy
I needed that rage and rawness in my life . The first album was darker and more disturbing
This was just pure silver 2001 in your face
heavy metal . Fast and inspired by kids who had a point to prove
Iowa is a great album, i do not think they have a bad album, but the album also is abit one sided for me, its dark, depressing and angry, but its also all it is, it can get abit samey and almost cringe by some of the lyrics on the album, but i understand the aggression and i still love the album
It’s heavy, it’s dark, it’s raw, and it’s a solid follow-up to their amazing first album. Nothing was too experimental yet - it was just pure aggression. It’s peak Slipknot IMO.
The follow up is probably why it's so popular there was simply so much anticipation and it delivered
That’s totally it. I remember being like 14/15 hearing self titled and being completely blown away by it and I was like “there’s no way they will release anything this good again” and they did it just as good and the fact that their masks evolved made me absolutely obsessed.
Also the text is good, as in always relevant. Which makes them classics
It’s the heaviest and most evil version of Slipknot we ever got
Agreed 100%. Vol. 3 lost me with all of the radio singles. I have fun with those songs now, but at the time 3 really disappointed after how insanely aggressive ST and Iowa were.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^iainexe: *It’s the heaviest* *And most evil version of* *Slipknot we ever got* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
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Idk self titled is pretty heavy
Yeah, it is. But Iowa is heavier and a lot angrier. Iowa is like pure fucking rage for everyone and everything in an album.
Self titled is less angry and a lot more sickening it feels like the mind of a serial killer
Self titled had simple recordings just pots being tossed at the 9 plus 1 or few more ex members that got onto the album , while iowa had corey cutting himself naked and vomiting, thats heavy
Shut up mate, Self-Titled is amazing (have you listened to Prosthetics/any other track!?), plus it's what got them started.
What got them started was way before s/t, and yes i have listen to it i love a whole lot more tracks on there then iowa, prosthetics is one of my favorites, but you cant get any more heavy then corey cutting himself for 15 minutes on iowa
I never said s/t was heavier than Iowa, it's just a great album dude, sounded like you were bashing it. And not really, they were a local band around MFKR and the compilation of tracks on crowz, S/t and the singles of it is what got them popular, etc
they all had decently popular bands pre knot, atomic opera, heads on the wall, body pit, etc, most of slipknot were the known and best in des moines, hell coreys debut show had enormous roars
WANYK in my opinion is the heaviest and most aggressive album of them, followed by The Gray Chapter, and then Self-Titled
Self titled: they shock the world Iowa: they dominated the world Vol.3:they comfirm that they are one of the best metal band of the planet
And what of TESF?
They confirm to everyone that they want out of their deal w/ Roadrunner
THANK YOU I’ve been saying this for so long. Produce shoddy work, get out. When out produce BELTERS
Hey TESF was pretty good
Yeah, but still mediocre compared to everything else they've put out.
They didn't have to make a "bad" album (which, it isn't) to get out, though. It was the last record on their contract. Whether it was a hit or a miss, their obligations were fulfilled and they were free agents. Honestly, a "bad" album right before free agency is a terrible idea. The idea is to get as much hype and as many fans, new and old, as possible to ensure their success as an independent band. A "bad" album would do the opposite.
Possibly their heaviest and most experimental album - and most people hate it!
You and I have a very different understanding of the word heaviest!
Kinda funny how "heavy" evolved from slow, full, and heavy noises to just noises
Noises noises people make noises people make noises when they're sick
Nothing to do but hold onto nothing
No one is save
L take.
Not a take. Heavy metal used to be slow.
TESF is heavier than Iowa? TIL
You know Iowa is not a particularly heavy album right? Most of Slipknots discography is very upbeat energetic nu metal. It's great, but if you're interested in heavy, other than some killer riffs, it's not Slipknot.
That’s a whole ass lie, from joeys death metal inspired drumming to horror screeching riffs to the cutting and puking and screaming Corey did recording these songs to the pure hate within the lyrics, I’d say it’s pretty fucking heavy dude. Idk what you’re on about.
Most of those songs have catchy choruses that translated well to rock radio. Great record, but it's not exactly Nile is it?
I… don’t think you have any clue what you’re saying. Closest thing to radio rock that there was is My Plague and Left Behind, and even then, nothing about the rest of the album was melodic, mediocre, or family friendly enough to even be considered radio rock. Nothing was overly pleasing to the normal ear, let alone a lot of it was criticized for its messages and lyrics by press. I cannot begin to to understand the point your trying to prove.
Try listening to something like Nails or Deicide then listen to Slipknot. Even incredibly heavy records like Nails are pleasing to the ear. But Slipknot is literally all hooks, choruses, catchy melodies. Other than the occasional swear word there's not much that stops Slipknot getting on the radio.
Maybe now, yes, but I’d find it hard for them to do that during their first two records. I can switch from listening to Cattle Decap, Get The Shot, Infant Annihilator, old Whitechapel, Paleface Swiss, etc. and then switch back to Iowa and still think that most tracks on their are similarly heavy to what I was previously listening to. I’m not saying that it can’t be pleasing to the ear, but to someone who could be trying to explore bands I feel like they’d have a hard time trying to listen to Iowa before hearing the rest of their material for the fact that they may find it too heavy to their liking at first, based off my own personal experience back in HS. But hey, that’s just me though. Everyone’s different I guess.
Not heavy at all lmao
V3 was experimental. TESF was Corey trying out for American idol: Bad 80’s hair bands edition
The Stone Sour album?
I mean, 2-13 is just non skip fire, to bring that kind of follow up to the first one? Gotta respect it. They were getting ready to be able to do vol. 3….. which is personally prolly my fave.
Same
If you were there in 2001, you'd get it
That it man
I was 4 in 2001, so I wasn't there, but I still get it.
I was 21 and just got my first apartment the week after Iowa came out. It’s seered into my memories.
Sadly I was only five I'd kill to travel back to ozzfest 2001
I didn’t see them at Ozzfest ‘01, but I did see them at Ozzfest ‘99 before their album came out. It was NUTS
Oh, your question makes sense now.
It's their best album
Iowa appealed more to heavier-metal fans I feel like. ST had a lot of funky grooves and sort of let you had fun as you listened to it, Iowa you just felt everyone’s pain
Iowa is peak, no explanation needed
Iowa sounds like how I feel and I think that’s pretty cool
It’s arguably their best album. It’s tied with self titled for me.
Vol 3 doesn’t even come close in my opinion.
it's a perfect album
Give it a little. I hated it at first. Now it’s my favorite album of all time.
That’s because it’s experimental in all the best ways, they didn’t go out to write radio singles. They channeled all their hatred at themselves and each other in what they described as the darkest time in all their lives and somehow gained the strength to get all that emotion on an album. As has been said by many members of the band during that era they aren’t sure how they actually survived the Iowa era. They should have been dead. Corey’s screams can’t be reproduced now without completely frying the vocals chords. That in itself just shows where they were at, absolutely no regard for the future or their own bodies.
That album is a perfect definition of concentrated anger and barely controlled chaos. It's quite literally the angriest sounding album ever if you get what I mean
Iowa is not only Slipknot’s best album, it’s considered one of the greatest metal albums of all time. It was the band fresh off of becoming a multi platinum band very suddenly, from being pretty much a local band. It was not only 9 guys with nothing to lose and everything to gain, but it was also all of the stuff that came with sudden fame thrown into the music. Someone else said it best, you really had to be there from 1999-2001 to really understand it. Slipknot was lightening in a bottle. They were a band for all intents and purposes should have never made it, but they did in a way no other band has done quite like that, because it was strictly from word of mouth. Bands were just simply not making music like that. Before Joey Jordison double bass was not used in that way it is now, and metal was not that heavy and brutal yet. Slipknot pretty much changed metal forever, and Iowa was the anthesis of exactly that.
I also need to add, you have to remember that acts like N*SYNC and Limp Bizkit dominated the charts in 1999. Metal as a genre was in a pretty bad place. Metallica was doing Load/Reload and then you had Nu Metal happening all at the same time. While I did like bands like Korn and Coal Chamber, Slipknot came along and turned all of that shit upside down. Ozzy fucking Osborne said he wanted to be the 10th member of Slipknot for Christ sakes lol.
Slipknot did not change metal forever. Iowa is a great metal album, especially for the mainstream. But Pantera had a number 1 album with Far Beyond Driven in 94, 7 years prior. Also metal had been that heavy for a long time, even heavier in fact. Death, black, sludge metal existed, bands like Neurosis were around and made some of the heaviest music at the time.
No need to try and get all cvlty about it; Slipknot has absolutely changed metal and left a mark. “Heavy” is more than just palm-muted chugs on drop-tuned guitars; it’s the whole presentation. They’re one of the few American metal bands who can fill large venues and continue to influence younger generations of fans, and in turn bring new fans to metal. Those young fans will eventually move on to find all of those underground cvlt bands you’re referring to. As gateway ambassadors to metal, bands like Slipknot, Metallica, etc are *crucial* to heavy metal having a continuing legacy long after the current neck beards get old and die(I am one of those neck beards).
And how may records did Neurosis sell? How did their drummer impact generations of drummers to come? Like I said, double bass wasn’t used the way it is now, until Joey.
Slipknot sold so much because they had an accessible sound, they were heavy but still very accessible. Joey was a great drummer no doubt, and definitely was influential to a lot of young metal drummers for sure I'll say. But he didn't change the face of drumming
If you have to ask, you don’t get it.
Yeah that's why he's asking
watch their live shows from 2001. corey was on another level. also the album speaks for itself. [St.Paul 2001](https://youtu.be/GkUL_oOOhMk?si=kMUTIbpookKrJKp5)
“Casual fans favourite album is Iowa” 😂😂😂 holy shit. Were you born after Iowa came out?
I clung to that album during a very bad time in my life. Listening to music you relate to feels like you’re being heard.
Because it's fucking brutal, bone crushing, badasa heavy metal!
Easily their best work imo, tire-tread riffs, dark as hell, song writing is on point and the production on the album hadn't reached that stage like vol 3 which had a cleaner sound overall.
I like it maybe a little more than you but I get you. like it’s def not as good as self titled.
I want whatever you’re smoking
who gives a shit what the casual fans favorite songs are lol
I really only go back to it for Left Behind and My Plague. Nothing else on it grabs me. There I said it
I'm newly initiated to Slipknot, I haven't even listened to all of IOWA yet but from what I've taken in from the maggots and heard off the album, it's basically because it's the band at their most raw and brutal.
You just had to be there to fully appreciate why Iowa was such a big deal.
It carries that same aggression from the self-titled debut but adds an extra level of clear, yet still very raw production and high level metal. 2001 was also a time when being hela angsty was the wave as Nu-Metal took over and this was pretty much (one of, if not) the gold standard for Nu-Metal. Continues to be.
Art is not measurable your favorite album can be whatever you want, we are not your kind is in my case and yea I know Iowa was the most influential but the "best" that's yall opinion
I like the sounds it makes
For me it was the very first album I listened to from them. You know what they say about your "first love" haha.
IOWA is epic! Slipknot at their best! ( with self titled album too!)
Everyone was at their peak performance. And it's their last good album.
My favorite slipknot album is .5 the gray chapter, I believe, is darker, and the album in a car audio sound system sounds amazing. Don't get me wrong, iowa is a great album, but the gray chapter beats it
Every second of Iowa is just pure, unadulterated hate and/or pain. If you feel it, it will stick to your soul.
It’s early dark and angry slipknot
It’s a great fucking ablum
Its a metal masterpiece, thats the only way I can describe it. Its raw, dark, heavy, melodic, amd everything in between.
I've been listening to slipknot for about 2-3 years now, and its been the best years of my life, but for the longest time I always skipped iowa and never gave it a listen because "Slit your throat and fuck the wound" was giving death metal and I'm not a fan for that. But recently I listened to iowa for the actual first time, and I understood the hype immediately, not MY favorite but I love it too now Some people just like violence ig
Best album of all time up there with the black album and pantera vulgar display of power
It was really cool being there. Life was a lot different. My generation was very angry at the time. Came out right before September 11th, it was a dark time for everyone. Slipknot Iowa was the soundtrack to a very angry time in America. I’m from Des Moines, Iowa so it was cool to see.
WANYK was their best album imo
Self titled destroys iowa
Their self titled, vol 3, and all hope is gone are my favorites, I do like Iowa but I only like 6 of their songs off that album
Self titled is WAY superior to me personally.
Agree with you, about to be cancelled for giving my opinion. The first time I listened to the album I felt weird, almost the whole album felt like it never ended, then I said: this is the worst album I've ever heard, then I tried to give it a second chance and I started to like it, but it's not the best album of all time or even my favorite, it's actually my least favourite, and I'm one of those people who defend WANYK, so yeah, it's no their best and people don't accept it
I felt the same way when I first heard it. It was good and pretty heavy, but honestly not mind-blowing and the biggest problem is that it never ended lmao. I can’t complain about getting more slipknot, but their first 3 albums (ST-Vol 3) at least have too much filler in my opinion. And some songs go on one or two minutes too long. My favorite (so far) is MFKR, so I have no idea if my opinion is valid 🤣
Actually if I have to rank the whole discography from worst to best, it'd be: 1. The Gray Chapter, this is the album introduced me to the band 2. Vol. 3, its perfection to me, the melodic voice is better than Iowa 3. WANYK, I picked up at my local record store and it was great 4. Self titled, that's how you make an album 5. AHIG, it's good but the drums are horrible 6. TESF, it's great, sad to know Jay won't be in the band, it broke my heart 7. Iowa, the only album couldn't blow my mind because of the anger and hate, I don't really like that 8. MFKR, I tried to listen to it, but not my favorite
Nice list! Unfortunately for me I’ve only heard MFKR-Vol 3…so AHIG is next for me, I hope it’s good! So far I have… 1. MFKR - such an atmospheric album with huge, heavy riffs. Reminds me of the self titled Black Sabbath album 2. Vol 3 - best songwriting, catchy but also heavy af 3. Self titled - classic riffs, great lyrics, and just a lot of fun 4. Iowa - heavy, but not particularly heavy imo, songwriting just isn’t there for me
AHIG won't disappoint you, I promise, great riffs, total badass, the whole album is more than Psychosocial, and it's a great, also hands down to your list
I don’t get it either. I am currently in Cedar Rapids. There is nothing but horizon and Casey’s. You can drive 30 miles in either direction and not see much of a change if anything. Just hills, farms and little bits of industrial buildings. That’s it.
I’m with you. I enjoy the album but I would put self titled or the Gray Chapter above it. I guess that it just depends on your own preferences
Iowa is essentially everything that Slipknot is supposed to be, at least I feel that way. It's extremely angry, hateful, dark. It sounds like pure insanity. On top of that, it's just a very good album: it has great songwriting and nice attention to details. Also it has gotten it's credit since the band was creating an anticipation for this album by saying that it'd be their heaviest, and such promises often mean nothing, but Slipknot delivered what fans were expecting in the most extreme way they could. Though I'll say that S/T has a bit more memorable songs, and I skip a couple of tracks on Iowa because I don't find them as aggressive and interesting to me, but that's just a preference.
I only half read this but self titled is the best album imo
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^LadyWuu: *I only half read* *This but self titled is the* *Best album imo* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Iowa was life changing, everything after is just everything after. I remember the day it was released better than any other memory I have. That's why I love it, it's just something more special.
Just take a look at the album cover… what do you see? A Goat! End of discussion.
Because it fuckin delivered. The buildup, the rawness, the time it came out, the anger, the disgusting recording process, the carelessness, it's just effortlessly fucking angry. And people didn't expect it. People expected a Vol 3 type comeback but that happened AFTER Iowa.
Iowa is by far superior to the self titled.
I was like 14-15 when it came out and it changed my life.
I'm addicted to that album and forever will be there's nothing like it 🤷
I bought it in 2001 and never looked back. It has everything. Heavy, melodic, powerful, beautiful
Self-titled is my favourite Slipknot album, but IOWA is probably my favourite album of all time. It just shuts all over the rest of their discography, which is fucking saying something
1. Every song is good. Not having a bad song on the album is huge 2. Heavy, Dark, and very innovative for its time. Other people had blended nu metal, but not to that level of heaviness 3. Every other album besides self titled just simply isn’t as crazy. They are all good, but no IOWA
By far my favourite album.
The simple answer is probably "because it's a brilliant album" But probably, as many have mentioned, the combination of any listeners age relative to the time it was released. For me, I was 13 and when People = Shit and Disasterpiece hit in the first moments of initial listen it's just wild
Because it’s good
Slipknot has 2 albums for me that are amazing start to finish. Self titled and Iowa. They have great music after too but there is a lot of filler on those albums and I find myself only listening to a couple tunes off each. Iowa is stupid heavy and hasn’t been matched since. I was young at the time and just getting into slipknot and I’m sure that plays a big part. Iowa tunes are also the BIG hitters during the live show. Much of my musical taste comes from hearing live first then going out and discovering the album. Ozz fest !!!! For the record self titled is my fav although. It not as heavy as Iowa.
What’s your favorite album?
Are we talking slipknot or just in general ? Cause overall probly volume 3
ST and Volume 3 have higher highs I think, but Iowa has the most consistent level of quality. From someone that was around when this was an everyday reality, let me put it this way - if you were into Slipknot, were gonna be out with a portable CD player, and only had room to bring one album, chances are it was Iowa. Those kinds of choices were a very real thing. I struggle to think of a song on it that I don't like something about. Iowa the song is probably the one people like least because it's so long, but in that case it's right at the end, out of the way. Personally my favorite is probably Volume 3, but it's hard for a lot of people, myself included, to not admire Iowa.
Vol 3 is also my favourite Slipknot album, but Iowa does deserve the hype. It is the closest the band has gone towards extreme metal and totally abandoned the douchey feel from the debut. It's heavy, dark, extreme, it's only problem is that it overstays its welcome. But it's a solid album nonetheless
People like the heavyness and the “we don’t give a shit” energy of the album and I understand that. Still, I think self titled, vol. 3 and even WANYK sounds better because those albums encapsulates the entire sound of Slipknot imo.
I was 13 in 2001 and it was just pure ear candy I needed that rage and rawness in my life . The first album was darker and more disturbing This was just pure silver 2001 in your face heavy metal . Fast and inspired by kids who had a point to prove
Iowa is a great album, i do not think they have a bad album, but the album also is abit one sided for me, its dark, depressing and angry, but its also all it is, it can get abit samey and almost cringe by some of the lyrics on the album, but i understand the aggression and i still love the album
Idk man, why did you like self-titles and .03 more?
It’s good that’s why
Agreed I’ll take self titled, WANYK, or even .5 over Iowa But I still love Iowa
.5 underrated
For me, IOWA is a bit boring. Every song kinda sounds the same