Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
If you don’t know what you’re expecting by now, then you must be living in a circus, for how else do you explain the sense of colour, the wonderful madness, the sheer scope of the metaphorical three ringed extravaganza that accompanies the drama of Slipknot. For what you should be expecting is the unexpected, the inquisition of the unforeseen, the anticipation of the startling effect, and who better to grab your attention that one of the most dynamic and self-motivated bands of the last two decades, than that of Slipknot.
The End, So Far speaks of continuance in the face of perceived conclusion, that the band have been through change with the sad loss of founding member Joey Jordison would have been enough to have the group reflect on their time together and his leaving of the dynamic in 2013, and the concern that Time is starting to draw its own gaze upon one of the foremost nu-metal bands to have taken to the stage.
The album, as with the band, is performance on a scale, and yet the surprise is there from the opening salvo. The grace and fearsome perspective, the touching and the tragic rubbing shoulders with the beast and the aggressive angel, this is Slipknot as their newest, and arguably classiest recording yet beats the drum of the heart to a level that does not question but accepts that it is absolutely required and ready to comply.
An album of contrasts, but each track immersed in the fierceness that envelops the group, songs of brutal excellence, moments of heart-breaking vision, this is Slipknot at their most eloquent, and as the opener Adderall blindsides the listener, so tracks such as The Chapeltown Rag, Hive Mind, Medicine For The Dead, Heirloom, and De Sade upholds the fine tradition set out by Iowa’s bullish, confident creation.
The End, So Far is buoyant, it is the epitome of drama, on a level with albums such as Korn’s Follow The Leader, System Of A Down’s Toxicity, or Linkin Park’s Meteora, different styles and beliefs maybe, but albums that show the soul of the various groups off to their finest and radiant best.
The End, So Far, and so much to capitalise upon, this is after all, just the beginning.
Ian D. Hall