Maps of Music

.5: The Gray Chapter (2014)

Where the lyrics of .5: The Gray Chapter take you, and where it was really made.

The album's title points to the surname of bassist Paul Gray, who died in 2010, and it was the first Slipknot record made without him.

Key places

Recorded at Sunset Sound (2014)

Recording site Sunset Sound — Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood is listed as one of the studios where this album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Sound Factory (2014)

Recording site The Sound Factory — The Sound Factory in Hollywood is listed as one of the studios where this album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Westlake Recording Studios (2014)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles is listed as one of the studios where this album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot
• Released October 17, 2014 by Roadrunner Records
• First studio album in six years
• First album without original bassist Paul Gray or drummer Joey Jordison
• Title refers to Gray's surname
• Standard and deluxe editions released
• Six singles included on the album
• Final studio album with percussionist Chris Fehn before his dismissal in March 2019 over a lawsuit

Background

• Writing began in late 2013
• Jim Root decided not to tour with Stone Sour in January 2014 to give more time to the album
• A new bassist and drummer joined the lineup during live shows
• Donnie Steele took part in some studio sessions but declined to rejoin the band
• Bassist Alessandro Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg joined the band
• Jay Weinberg came from Against Me! and auditioned after Joey Jordison was fired
• Jay Weinberg is the son of Max Weinberg, who introduced him to the band

Recording

• Produced by Greg Fidelman
• Mixed by Joe Barresi
• Fidelman is known for work with Metallica, System of a Down and Audioslave
• Fidelman also mixed the band's third album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), in 2004

Cover

• Art direction and photography by Shawn Crahan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1995 by percussionist Shawn Crahan, vocalist Anders Colsefni and bassist Paul Gray.
• The band is known for its masks, matching jumpsuits and numbered identities.
• Their self-titled debut album (1999) brought rapid fame, and Iowa (2001) made them more popular.

Members

• Shawn Crahan is the only founding member in the current lineup.
• Corey Taylor has been the lead vocalist since 1997.
• Mick Thomson and Jim Root are guitarists in the current lineup.
• Eloy Casagrande became the drummer in 2024.

Career

• The band released All Hope Is Gone (2008), which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
• Paul Gray died in 2010 from an accidental overdose.
• The seventh studio album, The End, So Far, was released in 2022.
• The band has sold about 30 million records worldwide.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic gave the album generally favorable reviews, with a weighted average of 77 out of 100 from 13 critics
• Most critics praised the return to the band's older sound from Slipknot and Iowa while keeping the melodies from Vol. 3
• Ray Van Horn of Blabbermouth.net hailed the album as a return to the band's punishing roots and noted thrash metal elements on AOV
• Rick Florino of Artistdirect gave the album a perfect rating and called it the most abrasive work since the self-titled debut
• Dom Lawson of The Guardian described the album as every bit as warped and explosive as previous records
• Tom Bryant of Q complained that the lighter tracks were disappointingly timid, but said these are easy to forget when the band plays to its strengths
• Gary Suarez of Billboard was more critical and called it Slipknot's least gripping LP, while praising the closing track
• Several critics praised how the album acknowledges Gray's memory, with Dan Epstein of Revolver and Gregory Heaney of AllMusic calling it a productive record born from grief
• Chad Childers of Loudwire praised the mix of sounds and the emotional depth of the album

Records

• Second Slipknot album to debut at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 132,000 copies sold in its first week
• Number one in Australia, Japan, Canada, Russia and Switzerland
• Top 5 debuts in the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Mexico, Denmark and Finland
• The lead single 'The Negative One' was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards
• The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 58th Grammy Awards
• 'Custer' was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 58th Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Taylor said the masks made for the new bassist and drummer came out 'kind of cartoony' and did not fit the band's identity, so similar masks were made for them.
• Both new members appeared briefly in the video for 'The Devil in I' before the band announced their identities.
• Bassist Alessandro Venturella was recognized in that video by the unique tattoos on his hands.
• Donnie Steele is the only bassist of the band's original lineup to play on this album, though the specific tracks he played on are unknown.
• The 2014 first pressing came in several colors, including a red edition of 1000 copies that was exclusive to Hot Topic.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact