New Slipknot Album: 10 Things The Band Need To Get Right

3. Nail The Production

If there was one constantly pleasing aspect of All Hope Is Gone, it was the album's thickly layered production, courtesy of Dave Fortman. Certainly, Rick Rubin did a tremendous job with the band's third effort, which maintained the choppier elements of their first two records while cleaning up the vocals and defining each instrument more fully. Fortman built upon Rubin's foundations, delivering a significantly thicker sound that brought the group's well known percussion to the forefront of the LP. Slipknot need to bring an equally-talented producer with them for their fifth outing. Ultimately however, the band need the kind of producer who can guide the whole creative process, moulding a vision for the final product and crafting a cohesive album that flows logically. So while Fortman continued to refine their sound, he failed to really unite all nine members into the project under one single objective as fully as Rubin did. Listening to All Hope Is Gone in one sitting reveals how much more disjointed and awkward the production is in comparison to their previous efforts, which is why they really need to find the right producer for their next release.