Review Summary: Bold ideas, poor execution
The apocryphal side project by Slipknot members Corey Taylor, Jim Root, Sid Wilson and M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan, recorded during the All Hope Is Gone sessions in 2008, has long been teased and finally saw a limited release on Record Store Day this year. Now a wider physical release has emerged on CD, fans can finally get to hear what all the fuss is about.
The result is… mixed. A lot of the ideas feel unfinished as a result of the more stream-of-conscious approach they took to the songwriting and as a result there's not a lot of cohesion to the ideas. Some moments do show a lot of promise and Jim Root's more sludgy guitar work is worthy of praise, but Crahan's drumming is very basic and does little to elevate the tracks, generally plodding along at mid-pace and adding very little to the rhythm. Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia makes a solid cameo on double header "Christina" and "Is Real", but after a strong middle section the album sort of fizzles out.
All in all, this album isn't something that'll get a lot of replay value and most of its worth will be for die-hard collectors and curious onlookers wanting to hear Slipknot members taking a more melodic approach.
Bite size review originally published on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/lamortdelamusique/823553755064778752/the-apocryphal-side-project-by-slipknot-members
