All Hope Is Gone. Yes. Yes it is.

But not for Slipknot. As soon as the subversive American anthem Gematria makes its vociferous entry, it is startlingly clear that this band might never fall off. It's part of the unique sonic quality Slipknot has, which dispels all calm with the sound of doom. When they say "we will burn your cities down" you better believe it.

Whether or not you like Slipknot, you should respect them. With each record this band manages to grow just enough without forgetting their essential tenets and losing their original force. Truly commendable for 9 men with serious anger issues.

And these men are angry. Joey Jordison, Chris Fehn and the delightfully violent Clown are just relentless in their percussive pyrotechnics. The hulking opening of Sulfer drives into a grinding riff that is put over the top by the brute growl and singing voice of Corey Taylor, pushed to the furthest possible edge. Equally impressive is the fiery and sporadic solo work by Mick Thompson and James Root on this song, the title track and others, like This Cold Black. Though the band has taken a step back form the experimentalism of Vol. 3, what that record did for them was enrich their existing dynamics. Ever more present is the sonic engineering of Craig Jones and Sid Wilson, from the aural quirks on Butcher's Hook to the creepy whine on the verses of Gehenna. Fill in the low end with the solid bass work of Paul Gray, and you've got a heavy palette designed to feed your metal needs.

If there is one thing Slipknot suffers from, it is from being too consistent. The brutality of the record forces the second half to pale in comparison to the first. All Hope Is Gone overdoses on highly structured song arrangement and very polished production, which has a tendency to undercut the urgency of their attack. However, thanks to this focus, Psychosocial is a perfect bite of what Slipknot is.

One thing that gives this album some sort of contrast is the inclusion of the uncharacteristic acoustic Snuff. A beautiful song, though dangerously close to becoming the soft song type this band might feel in the future that they have to go to. Dead Memories feels more Slipknot-like in this regard.

So, to sum, despite a bit of overextension on their part, overall, Slipknot compile a solid album that should be part of your catalog. Beware: may cause rioting.