Love em' or hate em', Slipknot's influence over the mainstream metal/hard-rock scene has been undeniable. I'm sure I'm not the only one my age who can attribute Slipknot as being a catalyst deeper into the throes of metal. Almost a decade after I took that plunge, despite changing tastes, I still have always taken interest in Slipknot's output; not necessarily expecting to be blown away like I was in my teen years, but rather to see how the band has evolved, for better or worse. Each Slipknot release has offered something unique and has distinctly marked different chapters in their career. Enter in the fifth chapter, The Gray Chapter to be exact, which has seen the unfortunate passing of bassist Paul Gray and split with drummer Joey Jordison. Knee-jerk reactions would assume that the Slipknot machine would slowly wind down after these occurrences. The Gray Chapter, however, shows that the machine isn't winding down at all, rather it is gearing back up.
