Roadrunner Records’ 25th Anniversary Of Slipknot’s Self-Titled Debut Is A Mixed Bag

By: Philip Sayblack

Twenty-five years ago, when Slipknot released its debut self-titled album, the nine-man metal machine from Des Moines, IA was just another face in the crowd so to speak.  In the quarter century since then, the band has gone on to become one of the biggest hard rock and metal acts in the world, constantly changing and evolving its sound (and lineup almost as much).  Early last month, Roadrunner Records marked the anniversary of the release of the original record with a new two-disc 25th anniversary re-issue of the presentation.  While it is an interesting presentation, the recently re-issued record is an offering that the “maggot corps,” the band’s fan base (of which this critic is part) may actually find somewhat disappointing, considering the band’s legacy.  It is not a failure, though.  There are some positives, the most obvious being the added content that comes with the record.  At the same time the extra content featured here does leave some wanting for a little more.  This will be discussed a little later.  On the more negative side is the lack of any real examination of the band’s legacy anywhere in or on the record.  There are no liner notes to celebrate and discuss said item, which is disheartening.  While this is not enough to doom this latest re-issue of Slipknot, it certainly would have enhanced the presentation.  To that end, there is at least one more positive to note, that being the record’s packaging.  Each item noted plays its own crucial role in the bigger picture of Slipknot’s 25th anniversary re-issue.  All things considered they make this record imperfect but still enjoyable if only to a point.
Roadrunner Records’ recently released 25th anniversary presentation of Slipknot’s 1999 self-titled debut album is a presentation that is imperfect but enjoyable at least to a point.  The record’s primary positive is the bonus content contained on its second disc.  The bonus content in question is a total of 13 extra tracks – demos, remixes, and even some songs that did not make the final cut for the album.  Two of the tracks, ‘Interloper (demo)’ and ‘Despise (demo)’, are actually carry-over tracks from the album’s original extended digipack release. 
On a related note, that digipack released also featured the songs ‘Me Inside’ and ‘Get This.’  ‘Me Inside’ is carried over here but as a demo instead of the final cut, it is also presented as a demo.  ‘Get This’ meanwhile is completely omitted from this presentation.
On yet another note, ‘Eeyore,’ which has gone on to become a favorite of Slipknot’s fans, was originally included in the original album as a “hidden track.”  In the case of this album however, it closes out the bonus disc as its own extra.
The Jay Baumgardner mixes of ‘Surfacing,’ ‘Only One,’ and ‘No Life,’ join the demo versions of ‘Wait and Bleed,’ and ‘Prosthetics’ as being really enjoyable in their own right considering how much more “raw” they come across as being in comparison to what audiences get in the original album.  It makes for a great side-by-side that audiences are sure to appreciate.  Additionally, the addition of ‘Purity’ and the Ulrich Wild mix of ‘(sic)’ add even more for audiences to appreciate.  The Ulrich Wild mix of ‘(sic)’ is so raw in comparison to the final product, too, ensuring even more for audiences to appreciate.  It is just sad that Roadrunner did not also carry over the song’s “Molt-Injected Mix” from the album’s 10th anniversary re-issue.
Speaking of content not carried over, this is where things start to get a little bit dicey.  There are so many great extra tracks featured in the 10th anniversary re-issue that could have been presented here for those who do not have that re-issue.  At the same time, the fact that the original presentations of ‘Me Inside’ and ‘Get This’ from the original digipack release were also not carried over here just makes this re-issue start to feel like so many movie re-issues that have suffered with various extras from one iteration to another.  This is exactly the same sort of situation, only with music instead of video.
Though if audiences wanted, they could also argue that the 10th anniversary re-issue having a full-length concert recording and this re-issue not even having that is disappointing in its own right, too.
Now the standard rebuttal that likely would come from Roadrunner Records is that including any live recording would probably push up the record’s cost and that is something audiences would dislike.  There is some truth to that point but knowing this band’s legacy and the amount of content this band has crafted and that has become so beloved among Maggots the world over, that is something those fans would likely overlook.  Without all of that, this record just begins to feel like a cash grab for Roadrunner Records.
Making the situation even more difficult in regard to extra content is that there is nothing in the re-issue’s companion booklet in terms of discussion on the band’s legacy.  This is something that many audiences might not forgive.  Considering that Slipknot has gone from being just another face in the crowd in 1999 to being one of the most influential acts in the metal community today, it would have been a nice touch to pay that homage to the band, its rise, current place in the metal community.  This plays even more into things considering all of the videos that were posted to the band’s official Facebook page leading up to the album’s re-issue and that there was even a retrospective of sorts on the band in the bonus DVD included in the album’s 10th anniversary re-issue.  Even the band’s hit live recording, Day of the Gusano included insights throughout from the band in which the band discussed their own thoughts on the band’s influence.  Keeping all of this in mind, this is another disappointing aspect of the record’s re-issue.  Between this shortcoming and the included and omitted extra tracks here, there is a lot left to want in the bigger picture.  It leaves a true Slipknot fan wanting for more and feeling like this record is just a cash grab for Roadrunner Records.
While all of the noted omissions and inclusions make for a mixed bag presentation for the 25th anniversary re-issue of Slipknot, there is at least one more positive to note.  That positive is the record’s packaging.  The original album disc and the bonus are contained inside the jewel case, each on its own spot on either side of the moveable tray inside the case.  This protects the discs from marring one another and in turn extends the life of each disc.  It would have been easy for Roadrunner to have gone the route of a cardstock gatefold package that sees the discs in their own side.  When opened up, such packaging allows discs to slide right out and in turn potentially get damaged.  To that end, this is actually a positive that audiences will appreciate along with what extra content is included.  Keeping that in mind, the overall presentation that is the 25th anniversary re-issue of Slipknot proves to be far from a perfect celebration of this ground breaking and still influential metal act but still at least somewhat enjoyable.
Roadrunner Records’ recently released 25th anniversary re-issue of Slipknot’s self-titled debut album is a mixed bag presentation.  It succeeds, at least in part, due to its bonus tracks.  At the same time, when one compares the extra tracks featured here to those included in the original release’s digipack and those in the record’s 10th anniversary re-issue, some questions and concerns start to come to light.  The same applies to the lack of any discussion on the band’s place in the metal community, its rise to the community’s upper echelons and other related items in the re-issue’s companion booklet.  The booklet features original publicity shots of the band included in the original album and track listing for each disc instead, nothing more.  There is no denying that this is collectively problematic for the record.  It is not enough to doom the record, though but certainly is still concerning.  To that end, there is at least one more positive, that being the packaging.  On the surface, the packaging may not seem all that important, but in reality, it plays its own crucial role in the album’s longevity, as has been discussed here.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the re-issue.  All things considered this latest presentation of the album that started it all for what is one of metal’s most influential current acts is sadly one of the more forgettable of this year’s album re-issues.
Slipknot’s 25th anniversary re-issue is available now through Roadrunner Records.  More information on the album is available along with all of Slipknot’s latest news at:
Website: https://slipknot1.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/slipknot
Twitter: https://twitter.com/slipknot

​