''Antennas to Hell'' is the first greatest hits compilation album by American
heavy metal band
Slipknot. The album was released on July 23, 2012, in the United Kingdom and July 24, 2012, in the United States by
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
.
The title is a reference to the critically acclaimed
post-rock
Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...
album ''
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
''Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven'' (often shortened to ''Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven'', ''Lift Your Skinny Fists'', or ''LYSF''), or on the rear of physical releases, is the second studio album by Canadian post ...
'', released by the band
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock band which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located i ...
in 2000. The album features hit singles, fan favorites, and live tracks. The two-disc version of ''Antennas to Hell'' features a bonus live CD capturing Slipknot's performance at the 2009
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
in
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...
, England.
The three-disc version includes a bonus DVD featuring every Slipknot music video and ten brand new video features, titled "Broadcasts from Hell", created by
Shawn Crahan
Michael Shawn Crahan (born September 24, 1969), more commonly known by his stage persona "Clown", is an American musician. He is the co-founder and one of two percussionists for heavy metal band Slipknot in which he is designated #6. Crahan he ...
.
It is the first album released by the band since late bassist
Paul Gray's death in 2010.
Despite being a greatest hits collection, Clown of Slipknot has stated that it's more of a tribute to what Slipknot were and used to be at the time of the songs, and also said that the collection comes with much artwork and DVD content.
Reception
Critical
''Antennas to Hell'' has been very well received by critics. Rick Florino of
Artistdirect
ARTISTdirect is an American online digital media entertainment company.
Overview
Founded in 1994, it owns several websites, including artistdirect.com and artistdirectinterviews.com. These websites are a group of affiliate websites offering mul ...
stated that, "Their track record continues to be flawless and, unlike many of their contemporaries, they've outlasted
nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
,
metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
, and any other trends imaginable. They're
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
's proverbial last men standing, and Antennas to Hell perfectly covers their now legendary career with highlights from each release and some mind-blowing bonuses."
Commercial
The album debuted at number 18 on the U.S.
''Billboard'' 200 with sales of more than 16,000 copies in its first week.
Artwork
The cover art features a dark sky blue background with the
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
's head. The band's "S" logo is also seen above the head. The back cover features a black background and one of the devil's horns. On the inside, the CD tray features the late
Paul Gray's blue house. The address says 6421 and also a half 6421. The doors are a wooden door and a screen door. The screen door leads to Gray's home and the wooden door leads to the room where the cover artwork was taken. The back of the booklet features a replica of the devil's head on a table. The CD shows a concrete background with black nails scattered all over the place.
Track listing
Personnel
*(#8)
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...
–
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, acoustic guitar on "Snuff"
*(#7)
Mick Thomson
Mickael Gordon "Mick" Thomson (born November 3, 1973) is an American musician. He is one of two guitarists for the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #7. Thomson originally met founding Slipknot members Anders Colsefni, Donn ...
–
guitars
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
*(#6)
Shawn Crahan
Michael Shawn Crahan (born September 24, 1969), more commonly known by his stage persona "Clown", is an American musician. He is the co-founder and one of two percussionists for heavy metal band Slipknot in which he is designated #6. Crahan he ...
–
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
, backing vocals
*(#5)
Craig Jones –
samples,
media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...
, keyboards
*(#4) Josh Brainard - guitars
*(#4)
Jim Root
James Donald Root (born October 2, 1971) is an American guitarist. He is one of two guitarists for heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #4, as well as the former lead guitarist for rock band Stone Sour.
Life and career
Roo ...
– guitars
*(#3) Greg “Cuddles” Welts - percussion, backing vocals
*(#3)
Chris Fehn
Christopher Fehn (born February 24, 1973) is an American musician. He was a percussionist and backing vocalist for the heavy metal band Slipknot from 1998 to 2019, in which he was designated #3. He was also the bassist for Will Haven from 201 ...
– percussion, backing vocals
*(#2)
Paul Gray –
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
*(#1)
Joey Jordison
Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021) was an American musician. He was the original drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, as well as the guitarist for the horror punk s ...
–
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
*(#0)
Sid Wilson
Sidney George Wilson (born January 20, 1977) is an American musician. He is the turntablist for the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #0. Wilson was the youngest member of the band until bassist Alessandro Venturella and dru ...
–
turntables
A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
,
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
Charts and certifications
Charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2012 greatest hits albums
Slipknot (band) albums
Roadrunner Records compilation albums
Albums produced by Ross Robinson
Albums produced by Rick Rubin
Albums produced by Dave Fortman
Albums produced by Chris Vrenna