10 Perfect Hard Rock Albums Of The 2000s
7. Vol. III - Slipknot
As the mid-2000s were dawning, Slipknot were probably a little bit concerned as to where they could go next. Since they clearly hit the ceiling for heaviness on their album Iowa, they would have seemed like a one trick pony if they tried to rehash the same anger and make it sound forced. We had already done the ultra heavy stuff though... now it was time to get weird.
Shacking up in the haunted Houdini mansion out in California, Vol. III is one of the more ambitious sounding records in Slipknot's catalog, going for more melodic sounds while keeping that signature aggression. From the opening notes of Prelude 3.0, the album is clearly going for a different vibe, with songs that flirt with some different arrangements and even going full acoustic on the song Circle.
Slipknot is still a metal band at the end of the day though, and the best parts of this album bang a lot harder than most would expect, with The Blister Exists being heavy and abrasive to be off of Nine Inch Nails' best work and Pulse of the Maggots becoming the default anthem for all of the fans that have been drawn to this band for so long. Even though each Slipknot album goes for a different feel, Vol. III may be one the one record that has a little something for everyone.