Ever play that "gun to your head" game where you force yourself to eliminate one song from your favorite album? We're doing that right here with Slipknot's iconic discography.
From the band's self-titled classic to their most recent, The End, So Far, we decided which track from each album gets the axe… just for the hell of it! And be sure to let us know which ones you agree and disagree with.
"Tattered & Torn" (Slipknot)
Clearly the first half of Slipknot is safe from elimination, so we've gotta sacrifice one track from the album's more twisted, experimental second half. "Purity" and "Liberate" have to stay, as does the eight-minute psychotic break that is "Scissors." "Tattered & Torn" perfectly sets up what's to come on Slipknot, but it's just not as powerful as its fellow noise feast "Prosthetics." It's gotta go.
"I Am Hated" (Iowa)
First off, there will be no "Skin Ticket" hating here — it's one of Sid Wilson's personal favorites for good reason. Moving on, Iowa is beloved for being Slipknot's heaviest and darkest album, right? So let's ditch the track that least serves that purpose. There are less catchy Iowa cuts like "Gently" and "New Abortion," but they're both so fucking caustic. "I Am Hated" is a good song, but it's just too bouncy and up-beat. It's a cool edition to your nü-metal starter pack, but for Iowa's sake, it's jettisoned.
"The Virus of Life" (Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses)
Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses has some clear weak points. Unlike Slipknot's two previous record, the first half isn't completely unfuckwithable. "Three Nil" probably should've been pushed down the track listing a bit, maybe in favor of "Pulse of the Maggots" or "The Nameless." If this was 2004, the soft, moody, clean-singing "Danger — Keep Away" may have been the song to chop out, but 20 years later, it's kind of cool as a closer. "The Virus of Life" is a little more dull, more one-noted. It never gets quite dark enough to be essential to the record.
"Butcher's Hook" (All Hope Is Gone)
Where to start with All Hope Is Gone? There are some all-timers on this album — "Sulfur," "Snuff," "Psychosocial." There's also the fairly underrated "Gematria," not to be confused with the more disappointing "Gehanna." All Hope ultimately comes down to a pick between "Vendetta" and "Butcher's Hook," but since "Vendetta" has an epic Joey Jordison drum intro, "Butcher's Hook" is our weakest link.
"Lech" (.5: The Grey Chapter)
The Grey Chapter gets a little too much criticism from Slipknot fans. It opens big with "Sarcastrophe" and delivers genuinely incredible tracks like "The Devil in I" and "The Negative One." Like All Hope Is Gone, most of the filler comes in the middle of the album, sans "Be Prepared for Hell," which is really just an interlude. "Goodbye" isn't a phenomenal song, but considering it's a tribute to the incomparable Paul Grey, it'd take a heartless mf to axe it. "Lech" has a solid Corey Taylor vocal performance, but not much else of note.
"My Pain" (We Are Not Your Kind)
Somewhat of a return to form for the Nine, We Are Not Your Kind delivers much of Slipknot's best post-2000s material. "Solway Firth" is a killer example of when Slipknot's artsier impulses result in a brilliant and emotional cut, but there are some artsy fartsy flops on display here as well. "What's Next" is a bit messy, but "My Pain" is the obvious choice for elimination. It's basically seven minutes of pseudo-whimsical droning. It's a rare "always skip" from the band.
"Acidic" (The End, So Far)
The biggest sin The End, So Far commits isn't that it's bad… just unmemorable. It doesn't come near the greatness of Slipknot or Iowa, but it also doesn't disappoint like the low points of All Hope Is Gone. You could cut anything from "Medicine for the Dead" onward and it wouldn't change much, but if you want to make the album less dreary, "Acidic" is the right choice.
