The Iowa nu-metal freak show’s brutalizing magnum opus

Slipknot’s 1999 self-titled debut is a harrowing ride through diverse metal subgenres, including death, thrash, and speed. But it doesn’t stop there: Slipknot also touches on grunge and rap metal, skillfully melding all the influences into a holistic and unrelenting heaviness. The sonic chaos hits a fever pitch on the savage “Tattered & Torn” and the furiously warped “Scissors,” each a perfect storm of planet-destroying percussion, ferocious vocals, and sludgy walls of guitar noise.