ALBUM REVIEW: Slipknot – Live at MSG
Slipknot is one of the more creative, intense and powerful metal bands to break into the mainstream, a fact made even more surprising by the extremity of its sound. The band is also comprised of a number of solid musicians and performers, and the new live opus “Live at MSG” gives ample proof of that.
It was recorded at Madison Square Garden in 2009, during the All Hope Is Gone World Tour.
Live albums are often difficult to review because they’re an acquired taste, usually meant for diehard fans. It’s often tricky for bands to capture what makes them great on tape. In this case, however, “Live at MSG” does a fine job of summing up the band’s high points over the course of ten years and four albums, and also comes very close to presenting a definitive audio record of what the group sounds like live.
With a non-stop barrage of favourites like “Wait and Bleed”, “Purity”, “Everything Ends”, “Spit It Out” and an especially vicious “Disasterpiece”, “Live at MSG” also emphasises that underneath the band’s sonic and sometimes chaotic assault, there is a core of solid metal songwriting that shines through.
“Live at MSG” also showcases the individual and collective talents of the group live, proving them to be a formidable concert unit. Despite having nine people onstage at all times, the band stays tight throughout the album, weaving its way through death metal, blast beats and more complex melodic material with equal ease. On the downside, singer Corey Taylor goes flat on occasion, and the musical contribution of both percussionists remains murky at best (except for Joey Jordison’s drum solo, which drives home what an excellent drummer and indispensable component he was).
Nonetheless, it’s rare that a live album truly replicates the experience of being there, but “Live at MSG” definitely captures the aggression, power and underrated abilities of Slipknot in a punchy mix, that probably beats an actual live show in terms of clarity. Whether you love them or hate them, there are reasons why Slipknot are a tremendously successful band, and “Live at MSG” documents one of them in the strongest possible fashion.
