Single Slam – Solway Firth by Slipknot (We Are Not Your Kind)

Slipknot return with the latest single from their incoming new album, We Are Not Your Kind. This song is called Solway Firth.

The American metal icons recently announced the full details of their 6th studio album called We Are Not Your Kind. The album is due for release on the 9th of August via Roadrunner Records. It’s weird to think that the band formed way back in 1995. They released their iconic debut, Slipknot, in 1999. 25 years in existence and we are only getting a 6th album now. Side projects, hiatuses and tragedy have often plagued Slipknot but somehow, even with all that, when they don their masks and say they are back, the world ripples with excitement and expectation. We have had two recent singles from Slipknot. One, All Out Life, was a stand alone and not part of this album. The one that was though is Unsainted. Read our full review of that track here.

On vocals it’s Corey Taylor with Shawn Crahan on backing vocals and custom percussion. Mick Thomson and Jim Root are on guitars and Alessandro Venturella is on the bass. Craig Jones is on the samples and keyboards while Jay Weinberg is on drums. The 9th member, replacing the recently dismissed Chris Fehn, on percussion, is currently in the band but unnamed.

I assume there is a deeper meaning to the title than what I understand it to be. The Solway Firth is an estuary that makes up part of the border between England and Scotland. I’m guessing Corey means it differently. At just under 6 minutes long, Solway Firth offers something a little different to the singles heard so far.

Starting of with some echoed clean vocals, Corey has a slightly odd twang to his style. A little folkish, perhaps. As expected that muddy clean singing builds into a crescendo of crunching drums and pounding riffs with scratching and electronica in the background. The verses are wicked with some viciously delivered vocals and a cracking riff and percussion flying off in every direction. Corey sounds like a man possessed at times with some extra powerful growls and roars across the song. Occasional pauses for a little melody are constantly bookended by an explosion of electronics, drums and riffs and the track then ends, quite suddenly, with a roar of “I haven’t Smiled in Years”.

Solway Firth is a really good song. It holds a lot of typical Slipknot elements like the crazy percussion and punishing riffs. Corey sounds brilliant in the heavy sections and a little odd in the intro cleans. Really odd actually. I am not sure what he was going for. Perhaps a Celtic twang to celebrate the area of Solway Firth? Anyway, as far as songs go it’s solid. Some of the guitar work is phenomenal with fresh and exciting riffs and the little stops and slow downs before exploding back into life work really well. All signs are pointing to We Are Not Your Kind being a top quality piece of work. A modern Slipknot album that incorporates everything they have learned and become on their journey so far.

Solway Firth is out now on all the usual streaming services. Preorder a copy of We Are Not Your Kind from Slipknot here or from EMP, here.

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