All Hope Is Gone is the fifth studio from Des Moines, Iowa band Slipknot. Release date is August 26, 2008 in North America.
“It’s going to rip your face off,” Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor tells Billboard.com with confidence. “I don’t think the world will be ready for this album.”
With confidence, I must say, he’s right. This is by far their most brutal album to date, and easily their most metal. They’re beginning to differentiate themselves from the rest of the dying “Nu Metal” breed.
One thing that seems to turn most metalheads off of Slipknot is their lack of: blast beats, blistering guitar work, and constant/extended double bass drum machine gun riffs. Well, guess what, guys, they’re here. Slipknot show off their technical skill and mettle with this album far more than ever before (excluding the masterpiece Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat with the original lineup). Overall, the music has not changed in overall sound, it’s as brutal as ever, but they’ve added more “musical” elements. When I heard the first guitar solo on this album I was shocked to say the least. Slipknot with some fancy-pants guitar work? Hell, I never thought I would hear it, but it works, and works well.
There are people that would say that Joey Jordison is the best percussionist around. While this is obviously not true [see: Thomas Haake, Morgan Ågren, Neil Peart, etc.] he at least puts up a fantastic showing compared to previous efforts. More pounding on the kick drums, more polyrhythms, and some brutal breakdowns. He’s got a ways to go until he can show us he really is of the best, but still incredibly talented none-the-less. A fresh take with the new cymbal usage (not only Jordison, but the Fehn and Crahan as well) certainly does not help with the new and improved percussion section.
The songwriting hasn’t changed at all really from Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). The lyrics have become slightly more mature, but not a whole lot. It is still dealing with very similar issues as in previous albums, but are now phrased in a more global, aware, mature manner. Aside from the new additions to their repertoire (the aforementioned guitar solos and drum work) the album sounds an awfully lot like Iowa with glimpses of things they used in their self titled release.
From song to song the mood swings quite dramatically. Ranging from brutal and angry to optimistic, it is far more open than anything Slipknot has done. Some examples of some outside-the-box thinking compared to the Slipknot of old would be the chorus to both “Wherein Lies Continue” and “Psychosocial”, both having very optimistic, positive sounds and messages, even while being imbedded in some of the most brutal stuff that Slipknot has ever produced.
The album is not very cohesive, but it works. For most albums, when it is not very cohesive it becomes a listening challenge. With All Hope Is Gone there is enough interest from song to song to keep you listening, and the jump from song to song can be fairly abrupt (building a lot of tension), which works with the feeling of the album. Towards the end of the album, you get the soft, ballad-like tune “Snuff” which is this album’s equivalent of “Vermillion Pt. 2” in my opinion. Following that track is “All Hope Is Gone”, which is a straight-up, balls-to-the-wall metal song. It pounds your face in beginning to end, and is a great final track for the album.
All in all, I really enjoyed the album, being a big fan of Slipknot before and felt that they would do well with more solos and machine-gun drumming. Admittedly, the album is not spectacular. It’s good, but not great. Any Slipknot fan of old should really dig it, and they will most likely gain a few new fans from it.
Track picks:
“All Hope Is Gone”
“Gematria (The Killing Name)”
“Sulfur”
Overall score = 7.5/10 devil horns
[EDIT]:
The Heaviest Matter of the Universe 
yo sick review son! joey jordison is always a beast
Nice review!
What do you think of My Review?
Dee (Fellow Maggot)
the review is AWESOME!… as always.
this is pretty good, but for an alternate view on slipknot, check out our review:
http://www.unfun.fm/2008/08/20/slipknot-all-hope-is-gone
I will listen to … probably NOT.
“One thing that seems to turn most metalheads off of Slipknot is their lack of: blast beats, blistering guitar work, and double bass drum work.”
Are you a complete dumb ass? There’s been double bass in nearly every slipknot song since their self titled album. And there were quite a few blast beats on iowa. Don’t write a review on a band when you don’t know shit about them. The new slipknot album sucks balls. It’s by far the softest album they’ve made. self titled and iwoa shit loads all over volume 3 and all hope is gone. At least slipknot got one thing write with the new album, the title. All hope really is gone for slipknot.
Mmmm… Its an album that doesn’t hit you the first time it then usually creeps up on you the next time and next time. before you know it, its play’n over and over and over again. It slowly melts into your brain. Well done!!!
i am a maggat i always have been from day 1 and im quite frankly sick of dumbass mother fuckers that think they know so much about music, yous only say shit because you cunts sold out, not slipknot they have kept the same band nearly 10 years with 9 members, when shitty 3 peice bands cant even stay together for that long, as for the new album i think it is sic its better then half the other fagget shit thats out there, if yous dont like it go back to lisen to poofy boy bands, stay sic slipknot!
Hahaha, delicious reviews I’ve seen for this one.
What am I supposed to say? I must have listened to this 2, 3 times over the last couple of days, curious as to how they keep making such substantial, immense and profound music. All the whilst, getting better over time? I don’t know of a band who has done the same. Certainly, the power of the easier songs on the album is undeniable, and sure, there is bound to be a similarity to Stone Sour – they have the same damn singer. Making direct comparisons between the two makes no sense, however, because they are two different entities that should be kept seperate, and if one looked at it from the legitimate point of view – that this album, as a whole, deems a kalidaescope of the metal Slipknot have experimented with and without a doubt in my mind, make successful experiments, at that.
There is certainly nothing not likeable on this album, for me, anyway – but metalheads who expected IOWA 2, or those who wanted Vol.3 Part 2, remember, Corey did say that this was going to be a blend of the two, and we certainly got it, and this has definitely got its place in the Slipknot discography – another fantastic album. Well done guys.
Charlie you are a POOF who cant speak or write proper English.
Why do all Slipknot fans seem to take so much offense at a review. Truth is lads, the band ain’t that good 😦
Unfun.fm
Slipknot is a great Band), if there is anyone who does not like them then don’t listen to them (meeting) I have listen to everthing out there Kayo Dot,Mudlin of the Well,Rush,the Fixx,Brian Eno,BrandX,Japan,Mick Karn,Peter Murphy,David Sylvain the list goes on.What I am saying when its 7:00 Am in the morning and I am of to work I need something that will kick some major ass and that to Me is Slipknot!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grow up people who don’t like Slipknot and get your ear’s ck out because this is the band of the future in Metal !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve been listening to Slipknot since the self titled album, seen them live multiple times and consider myself a pretty big fan of the band, and a lot of other metal bands.
listened to the album front-to-back, and the album just seems like filler. I didnt hear any songs that pulled me in, were innovative, or evoked anything in particular. I thought subliminal verses was a pretty great album, much better than Iowa and figured they were going to continue on that path.
While its not easy to innovate as a metal band, theres enough creative drive from 9 guys that I figured they have it down to a science…but…
not so. Pretty dissapointed with the cd. At least their old albums are still good.
First off, amazing review. Also I couldn’t agree with you more. This album is simply put a fucking breath of fresh air. I can not stop listening to it. ALL HOPE IS GONE – AUGUST 26TH!
BTW thank you for not writing a stupid biased opinionated review on Slipknot. Much appreciated.
1- People that say the band ain’t that good. Look up album sales, that speaks for itself.
2 – For people that call themselves fans and dont appreciate innovation. You ever found your self at your job saying god dam im tired of doing the same ole crap. BAM! You got it! Slipknot’s been together 10 years(Album Wise) and you dont expect them to change it up? Please.
All in all if tomarrow Slipknot went country theres nothing you could say but dam i guess they got tired of metal respect the decision and move on. If you like it you like it, if you dont then you really never were a fan of Slipknot and what it represents, you were just a fan of the song/album you particularly liked, and thats just a fraction of what Slipknot really is.
i thought this album wasnt very good, but then it crept into my brain. I love it so much, even the tracks i hated i cant get enough of. Take more listens to it and you’ll see, great review though man you nailed it. Slipknot evolve from every album, and to be a maggot in my opinion you gotta apeciate this and looks behind each song if ya get what i mean. This was an amazing album and cant get enough of it, i had high hopes which were dropped and later came straight back up!
god im sick of little bitches complaining they didnt get iowa mark two,i fucking loved vol 3,and ididnt even know it was gonna sound like it did ,the same with every knot release,i thought they were gonna bust even further with all hope, but they switched it up on me again,good,i dont want the same album everytime,alot of metalheads r so narrowminded,god forbid you try to progress a bit,its music motherfuckers it can b what it wants,you dont like it ,then suck a fat one,i hope they do a14 minute flute solo the next album
i think james hetfield should write songs for megadeth and then publish them as poetry for the homeless
i reckon its pretty good 4 a first album,this is a good representation of aussie metal ,but they should get a guy singer,such abig sound 4 a three piece,cant wait 2 hear how they handle the difficult second album
Bobby what are u talking about?
i hate christian metal and this is the worst,from all the lead up press i thought this was gunna b a jewish metal album,long live jewish metal!
hair metals back long live the kings!sulfur reminds me of def leppards love bites but in a really good way,i know 4 a fact def leppard where a huge influence on these guys,we all know these guys have been rivals for a long time,and weve all read the bad press between these guys,i think it should end,theyre both great!their track all hope is gone is thier pour some sugar on me,and if that track doesnt put them back as kings of hair metal id b very suprised,if u love nelson and mr big ur gunna luv this,slipknot 4 eva!
i love slipknot but they should put thier masks back on,kiss made a big mistake taking off thier makeup,they should just put the masks back on ,it worked 4 aerosmith
i once fucked a peacock!
i don’t know… it seems like they are jumping on the whole “guitar solos” because all these other bands stuck their neck out to keep guitar solos alive. I remember when guitar solos were so gross and often made fun of. I personally am not a fan of guitar solos. Never really liked the way they sounded. Kind of throws of the mood of the song just to “shread” and show how fast and talented you are. I really only like the 1st Slipknot album. I’m going to give this one a few more listens. Who knows i could be wrong and this album could be ahead of it’s time but as of right now i’m not feeling it. If i wanted to listen to this style i would just go and grab my lamb of god and kick back. Overall it’s just one opinon amongst a billion others so if you don’t like what wrote just pass it over and if you do like what i wrote still pass over it. I feel it’s a two way street….
all hope is gone fucking sucks. Slipknot have fukin sold out, they used to be the best there is. Not anymore it seems.
zac u suck ,youve sold out, your comments used to be the best around,and now your a hack,i used to believe in u,.i used to print every comment u eva made,your words were like poetry,not anymore it seems
Oliver, by your tone it seems you have been writing reviews for a while. While I respect that, I feel I have to give you a word of advice from someone who has been in the business for a long time. Stick to writing reviews of the genre that moves you. It’s obvious to me that you don’t care for metal anyway, there were a lot of biased overtones in the review, and you didn’t even complete it. So instead of igniting tempers of influential young people, simply steer clear of it. I wouldn’t try to write a review (and certainly wouldn’t publish one) for most Jazz or Blues bands simply because I don’t care for those genres. I think I know what your response will be to this post, but before you post it, just consider for a minute what I’ve said and don’t post out of retort. Have a good one all. Oh yes, the album: Personally I thought this album was not up to par with the older Slipknot albums. Call me old-fashioned, but all it took was a few comparisons between (sic) and Butcher’s Hook, or New Abortion and Gematria. While All Hope is Gone and Psychosocial were both good songs, it simply felt like Slipknot is spiraling towards being more mainstream and less “ugly”…that said, if you like Stone Sour, you’ll like this new album. Quick review, take it as a grain of salt.
this album i give a 4/10. slipknots changed alot….thats what they do but they said this album is getting heavier….went completely the wrong way. my friend bought it of itunes and said he sort of thought it wasnt worth the 15 bucks. it sort of sucks. most of the tracks belonged on a stone sour cd. theres 1 song ( dont know the title..) corey does some gay thing with his voice…sounds like a dead bird singing. ( he trys to go high). but my friend burned me a copy so im glad i didnt pay for this crap. i guess nothing will ever sound like iowa again. all hope IS gone.
This album is a great fourth effort. It just gets better the more I listen to it. Slipknot shows innovation instead of just rehashing an earlier album. I have been a fan since their first self titled album and I am even more a of a fan because of “All Hope Is Gone.” Good job!
This is by far their softest album, I miss the Iowa days. It’s not a bad album, it was just a let down.
Dude, this entire album excluding one or two songs is weak as shit. I don’t know what you find to be heavy, but this is crap. Just TRY to compare this crap of an album to IOWA. The only two songs I like is All Hope is Gone and Snuff. I don’t even like their only other “heavy” song on the album, Gematria. I like Snuff because I do like acoustic music as well as heavy death metal. Snuff was a great acoustic but not for Slipknot. Every album just keeps getting more disappointing. From who was once one of the biggest Slipknot fan ever… this album sucks worse than Vol.3
If it came from a different band then I would have enjoyed them. I don’t want to hear this crap from Slipknot. This All Hope is Gone album is just a fucking new Stone Sour album with two heavy songs to keep the name, Slipknot. I feel embarrassed for these guys coming out on stage looking like they are ready to kill then playing psychosocial… HAHAHAHAHA! That song is a fucking joke. This album aint technical. I’m in a technical death metal band and we can run circles around Slipknot’s technicality after only 3 years. We don’t even come out with masks on. We just show up and play a badass show. These guys are all about money and gimmicks now. Self Titled and IOWA are the only two Slipknot albums ever made. They were sick as fuck… and I don’t know where this band went wrong.
wow clint,technical death metal,did you get a degree in that at university,did it come with a klingon outfit you nerd,no thats not even nerdy,i play in a beyond death metal band,we have to draw up blueprints and schematics,and play with surgical gloves,masks ,and robes on,before we play a single note.technical death metal,its passe,at best…..oh how many albums have u put out,you neglected to say,seems your running circles around yourself,and i assume you work also,seems like someone is all about the money too.
good comment nigel,technical death metal,how novel,whats next 4 this guy parachute pants.
IS IT TRUE THAT CRAIG [SAMPLES],HAS DOWN SYNDROME,IF SO, THATS AMAZING AND INSPIRERING,MY BROTHER HAS DOWN SYNDROME ,AND HE CANT EVEN WORK THE TOASTER,I THINK THATS WHY U NEVER SEE CRAIGS FACE
Ok I think people are entitled to bitch about slipknot if they have listened to them a long time and expect them to put out great music. Like someone else said… this cd title does fit Slipknot, all hope for them does seem gone. S/T and Iowa were awesome cds. This cd is garbage. I thought maybe it is one of those cds that grow on you, nope I’ve tried listening to it several times but I always end up switching back to their older stuff. Corey shouldn’t build so much hype on album that only ripped my face off bc I couldn’t believe it’s as shitty and soft as is it. And for the quote saying I don’t think the world will be ready for this album, no we aren’t, but the dumpster is sure as fuck ready for it. Awful cd. I thought this would be a step up from subliminal bc that one was just as bad as this, and sadly it’s still the same old shitty bs. And for the dumbass who wrote the review saying he sees a lot of Iowa in it? What fucking cd did you listen to, to come up w. that idea? I can’t stand the guitars on this or subliminal, they’re a fucking joke. The lyrics on this look like a 12 yr old wrote them, fuck that a 12 yr old could prob. even write better shit. Slipknot is becoming a fucking joke. I’m entitled to bitch all I want considering I’ve supported their cds. And for fuckers saying oh if they suck so bad why don’t you do a better job and make something better, well for one fuck you fucking idiots, we don’t sit there and claim to make some awesome music that world isn’t ready for. Their job is to make good, decent music, not ours. Our job is to listen and appreciate. I don’t appreciate this bs they’re putting out. Save the stone sour vocals for stone sour. Otherwise this should’ve been a stone sour cd. There’s like 3 good songs. If they release another cd, which isn’t a step up for this, no way in hell will I support that lame, pussy bs. I’d rather listen to the Jonas Brothers than this pathetic shit.
hay stevo! just read the positive reviews and fuck off, this is metal it isnt about good english go dig your nose back in your books you fucking nerd, hay clint how many albums has your shitty technical band sold, your wishing u were in the 9, been lisening to the new album for 2 weeks it gets better everytime, fucking awsum!
Honestly, their new album didn’t meet the hype that the band members, especially Corey Taylor, had built up. All Hope Is Gone is weak compared to their previous works. I never want to hear Snuff again for as long as I live. Corey’s voice is amazing, but when listening to Slipknot I want Slipknot. Not Stone Sour. I’m not saying it isn’t a good album, because its still very good. Its just not the album I was wishing for; Iowa with heavier lyrics and a heavier sound. Slipknot will always be one of the best bands out there no matter what happens with their “new sound.”
Nice review man and surprising to see a fellow metal head not completely and utterly destroying a “maggot” for considering slipknot brutal heavy metal. Slipknot is good and i guess its metal, but its not anything near actual heavy metal.
I’ve been a big slipknot fan for a very long time. Im being completely honest when i say this album all hope is gone is terrible. I listened to the whole thing straight through and couldnt believe how insanely shitty it was. Bad ideas Bad execution and just all around dry and lame. there are 2 or 3 songs on the album that i like but the rest i cant stand. are they all smoking dope or what? what the hell is going on here? Someone needs to slap some sense into them because this is pathetic
The problem is the lack of direction, really. There are weak songs, there are strong songs, but it is the same for every other mediocre album out there.
I think that it was good but not “compare iowa or self titled” good. I think it should be heavier though.
The songwriting is certainly on par, if not better, than ny other Slipknot album, but I did find myself wishing for more “oomph” in terms of heaviness. Something Slipknot had an abundance of on Iowa