The follow-up to 2019's commanding
We Are Not Your Kind (the veteran band's third consecutive number one album),
The End, So Far lacks some of its predecessor's potency. However, it makes up for it with sheer grit and a handful of surprising deviations, most notably on the idiosyncratic opening cut. "Adderall" may sound like an algorithm-generated
Slipknot title, but the song itself contains multitudes, pairing cascading piano and clean vocals with a melody that has more in common with
The Bends-era
Radiohead than it does the crushing discord of
Iowa or
All Hope Is Gone. Elsewhere, the beefy "De Sade" adds might to that melodicism, proving that both predilections can coexist in the crucible of contemporary metal, while the epic "Finale" (again, with the on-the-nose titles) tempers its brawn with billowing strings and a full choir. Fans put off by these forays into melodic alt-rock will be far better served by "The Dying Song (Time to Sing)," "The Chapeltown Rag," and "Yen." All three cuts hew closer to the frenetic pace and mosh-pit-inducing beatdowns that have long served as
Slipknot's sonic foundation. Still, it's refreshing to hear a group tinker with their formula and even more encouraging when it seems to be out of curiosity rather than desperation.
Slipknot have sat atop the commercial metal food chain for over two decades and have more than enough equity to swing for the fences artistically.
The End, So Far may not be a home run, but it proves that the band are still in it to win it, even if they're playing the long game. ~ James Christopher Monger