Iowa, for me, is the most intense album Slipknot have ever done. It captures a moment in the bands' life back in 2001, and describes perfectly what was going on back then.

Iowa uses a mixture of heavy and light songs. There are no acoustics here, but fragile songs where the instruments are played quietly and the vocalist whispers. Tension builds up in these songs, and eventually it is back to the Slipknot that we all know and love. There are full-on hatred anthems on this record as well, and some songs where the vocals are rapped, bringing back the essence of Slipknot from their debut album in 1999. Also like their debut, there are no solos in this record, just tremolo picking and heavy rhythm parts. The double bass drums are used more frequently here than in the debut, but the samples and DJ effects are less used. The vocals are varied between heavy and light tones and sounds. Unfortunately, the bass is more covered up in some songs than what was on their debut.

Iowa is an extreme album. The nine people that made this record have created a masterpiece, something that is bigger than them. The intensity of this record is unforgettable and amazing. I don't know any other band that have managed to set an atmosphere quite like this. I totally recommend buying this album.