10 Best Rock Music Album Openers Of The 2020s So Far

4. Adderall - The End, So Far (Slipknot)

The winds of change were blowing through the Slipknot camp when their album, The End, So Far, was released in 2022.

Co-founder and former drummer Joey Jordison had passed away the year before, leading to this album being dedicated to his memory. New percussionist Michael Pfaff made his first appearance on a record, whilst keyboard player Craig Jones said his goodbyes.

Slipknot's music was also shifting, as The End, So Far was labelled by many as a new direction for the mask collectors. This altered sound can be heard loud and clear on the first song, Adderall, a near-six minute song heavy on synths but light on screaming.

Corey Taylor gets to show off his incredible clean voice on this song, which compares the ADHD-suppressing drug to the Bible. If you didn't know this was Slipknot, then you might not even recognise it as one of their songs.

Still, it's dark, it's menacing, it's unsettling, it's everything a good Slipknot song should be, and it marks this album as a statement of intent right from the get go.

Classic fans might not enjoy it, but this was a brave experiment that more than paid off.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.