The masked Iowans sixth full-length effort,
We Are Not Your Kind, sees a confidant and apoplectic
Slipknot in full command of their craft, delivering a searing 14-track set that's as versatile as it is observant of nu-metal's architectural truisms. Far removed from the desultory aggro-metal being dished out by veteran contemporaries like
Saliva and
Limp Bizkit,
We Are Not Your Kind bristles with both intent and imagination.
Corey Taylor and company have weathered their fair share of personal and professional woes over the years -- overdose, divorce, lineup changes, and lawsuits, not to mention an increasingly mercurial musical landscape -- but they have consistently managed to turn misfortune into grist for the sonic mill. After a short cinematic opening, the band gets down to business with fiery lead single "Unsainted," an infectious marriage of melody and might and a juggernaut of stadium-ready rage. The transient "Death Because of Death," with its carnival-like electro-industrial pulses and eerie refrain of "Death because of death because of you," sets the table for the unrelenting groove-laden rap-metal of "Nero Forte." The group goes full-on electro-rock -- think
Imagine Dragons-meets-
Korn -- on the sleek and sinewy "Spiders," and add twisty, melancholic progressive rock to their arsenal on the surprisingly heartfelt "My Pain" and the turbo-charged
High on Fire-esque stoner metal on the uncompromising closer "Solway Firth." More than anything else,
We Are Not Your Kind feels locked-in on a personal level -- that aforementioned sense of melancholy resides uncomfortably close to the surface throughout -- and that human touch resonates, even as the band unleashes volley after volley of tribal rhythms, scorching riffage, and fathomless decibels. ~ James Christopher Monger