It is Slipknot's first album to not feature bassist Paul Gray who died on May 24, 2010.[4] It also did not feature drummer Joey Jordison who was fired from the band in December 2013.[5]
The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200,[6] #18 on the Top Hard Rock Albums,[7] and at #2 on the Top Rock Albums.[8] In 2014, the song "The Negative One" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Metal Performance.[9]
↑Owen, Neila (October 23, 2014). "Slipknot – .5: The Gray Chapter". Allmusic. Retrieved October 30, 2014. Combining the punishing, pummeling metal of the band's early work with the more melodic focus of their later years, The Gray Chapter shows off just how unexpectedly wide the band's range is, going from a plaintive, atmospheric ballad like album-opener "XIX" to a thrash-inspired pummeling like "Sarcastrophe" without missing a beat.