All Hope Is Gone

All Hope Is Gone
A group of nine men wearing masks stand in a field of grass with a gloomy clouded sky above them.
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 26, 2008
RecordedFebruary–June 2008
StudioSound Farm Studio (Jamaica, Iowa)
Genre
Length57:57
LabelRoadrunner
Producer
Slipknot chronology
9.0: Live
(2005)
All Hope Is Gone
(2008)
Antennas to Hell
(2012)
Singles from All Hope Is Gone
  1. "All Hope Is Gone"
    Released: June 23, 2008
  2. "Psychosocial"
    Released: July 7, 2008
  3. "Dead Memories"
    Released: December 1, 2008
  4. "Sulfur"
    Released: June 15, 2009
  5. "Snuff"
    Released: September 28, 2009

All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released on August 26, 2008 by Roadrunner Records. The album was published in two versions: the standard album in a CD case and a special edition packaged in a six-fold digipak containing three bonus tracks, a 40 page booklet, and a bonus DVD with a documentary of the album's recording. With a runtime of 57 minutes and 57 seconds, it is Slipknot's second-shortest studio album behind 2022's The End, So Far. It is also the band's final studio album to feature the Iowa-era lineup with two longtime members: bassist and founding member Paul Gray, who was found dead in an Iowa hotel on May 24, 2010, almost two years after the album's release,[1] and drummer Joey Jordison, who left the group in December 2013.[2]

Preparation for the album began in 2007, while recording started in February 2008 in the band's home state of Iowa. Before the album's launch, Slipknot released a series of promotional images and audio samples from the album through various websites. All Hope Is Gone was considered the band's most eclectic-sounding album at the time of release, incorporating elements from their previous three. The album shows Slipknot moving away from the nu metal genre towards a groove metal style. Songs such as the opening track "Gematria (The Killing Name)" and the title track espouse the band's more brutal, death metal-influenced edge, reminiscent of songs such as "(sic)" from their debut self-titled album; slow burning, "trippy" elements such as "Gehenna", recalling "Skin Ticket" from their second album Iowa; and more tragic, sentimental tracks such as "Dead Memories" and "Snuff". Lyrically, All Hope Is Gone centers on themes such as anger, disaffection, obsession, and the music industry. The album name also features a more prominent focus on politics than their previous albums. Slipknot promoted All Hope Is Gone on a world tour and at the Mayhem Festival. Generally well received by critics, the album reached the top position on nine record charts worldwide, including the Billboard 200—the first Slipknot album to do so. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on August 10, 2010 for shipments in excess of 1,000,000 albums in the United States.[3]

  1. ^ Lawler, Joe; Hulsebus, Lars L. (May 24, 2010). "Slipknot bassist Paul Gray found dead at Urbandale hotel". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  2. ^ "Slipknot Parts Ways With Drummer Joey Jordison". Blabbermouth. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  3. ^ "Slipknot '(SIC)NESSES' DVD for September 28th". Roadrunner Records. August 19, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2010.