10 Perfect Albums That Artists Don't Want To Talk About

Whenever you have a hugely successful debut album, everything that the label wants is the more child friendly version of what you already did. Looking back on many bands, you can hear them playing it safe on their follow ups, almost trying to water down their sound and make everything just a little bit more commercial to get some radio play from the singles. These were the freaks out of Iowa though, and the next album was going to be an audio beating that no one had ever heard before.

Looking to outdo what they did on their first record, Slipknot made something pitch black on Iowa, taking the more disturbing moments of their debut and magnifying them that much more on songs like The Heretic Anthem or Left Behind, making a point to move away from the more melodic stuff. They certainly gave us one of the heaviest records that anyone would ever hear, but the rest of the band don't mince words about never wanting to record an album like this ever again.

During the production, the band members were starting to really get messed up on drugs, as well as push each other's buttons, with no one really getting along during the sessions and even a few cases where producer Ross Robinson would be throwing different things at them to wind them up before recording. Iowa definitely has the kind of griminess that works for metal music, but it's a completely different story when that darkness turns up after you leave the studio.