"Custer" is a single by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released on October 10, 2014, it is the third single from their fifth studio album '' .5: The Gray Chapter''.

Composition

The song begins with percussionist

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 ...

describing what the tempo of the song should be. The track then quickly transgresses into one that is much more deep and forceful, opening the composition. The song contains

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

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 ...

speaking in the manner of a radio announcer, and the line "Cut, cut, cut me up and fuck, fuck, fuck me up". During concerts, percussionist

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 ...

would usually sing the chorus with Corey.

Critical reception

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

describes the work as having "an air of the

self-titled An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

about it with Sid's scratching in the background and almost poem-esque opening verse".

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 ...

describes the tune as "'Surfacing 2015' with a massive refrain and

Faith No More Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...

-esque groove that burns and blazes with evil and engaging panache." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' praised "Custer" as well as "

Sarcastrophe "Sarcastrophe" is a promotional single by American heavy metal band Slipknot from their fifth major label studio album '' .5: The Gray Chapter''. The song was first released as a promo/digital single on October 14, 2014, the same day as the album ...

", noting "some huge choruses lurking within the repurposed death metal riffs and tribal clatter"

Charts

References

Slipknot (band) songs 2014 songs 2015 singles Roadrunner Records singles Songs written by Corey Taylor Songs written by Jim Root {{metal-song-stub