Let the haters hate: Slipknot are a good band, and, more than that, they’re a good band that has show substantial growth from album to album – and their most recent release, All Hope is Gone, is no exception. Sonically, the record is something of a codification of everything the band has ever done, which means the Stone Sourisms (clean vocals, reasonably radio-friendly alt-rock anthems, moody power ballads, etc.) of Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses are here once again. Whether or not that’s a good thing, ultimately, will depend solely on the tastes of the listener.

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Slipknot’s new album, All Hope is Gone, hasn’t even been released yet, and already guitarist Jim Root is expressing dissatisfaction with producer Dave Fortman. During a recent interview, when asked if working with Fortman was a better experience than working with Rick Rubin, Root responded thusly:

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So about a week back Slipknot released the following two minute-plus video “teaser” for the new, still untitled album. And even though I’m generally prone to defending Slipknot and I’m all in favor of trying things that are new and creative, I have to say, I have no fucking idea how this pertains to a new Slipknot album. I mean, there’s no music in it. Are they trying to tell us that their new disc will be an hour’s worth of ambient noise recorded around their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa? Or just that we should expect to be bored off our asses?

I assume that this thing was directed by Shawn Crahan (he’s the one in the clown mask, in case ya didn’t know), who also directed the very avant garde-y Slipknot DVD Voliminal: Inside the Nine. But this video makes that DVD look like a straightforward piece of narrative storytelling.

The new Slipknot album comes out in August. Former Ugly Kid Joe guitarist/current Evanescence producer Dave Fortman is manning the boards, which, if I’m being completely honest, makes me a little nervous – I have no interest in a glorified Stone Sour album. Hopefully my cynicism will turn out to be unfounded.

-AR