Right from the introductory shriek and grind of "(515)," you know Slipknot are deadly serious about making a real heavy metal album. Iowa is intimidating in its unforgiving heaviness. Produced to perfection by wunderkind Ross Robinson, it takes the best of Slayer as a starting point. "People = Shit," "The Heretic Anthem," and "New Abortion" are relentless and wholly brutal, but this is no mere thrash. "Disasterpiece" features a weird, hypnotic riff, while "Left Behind" comes across like a duet between Alice in Chains' Layne Staley and Slayer's Tom Araya.
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