Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. - Musical and Lyrical Themes

Musical and Lyrical Themes

The musical style of Slipknot is constantly contested due to the genres their music covers, however Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. is the band's most experimental release and is significantly different from the heavy style the band became known for. One of the band's initial aims was to mix many genres of music to achieve their own style; an early incarnation of the band was called "Meld" based upon this. However there are still familiarities in the sound of which Slipknot became known for. Tracks such as "Slipknot", "Some Feel" and "Only One" feature a dominantly heavy metal influence, specifically in that of the guitars. Tracks such as "Tattered & Torn", "Killers Are Quiet" and "Gently" also include the slow, cerebral angst build up style that the band also retained in some of their more recent work. The album implements elements of jazz and funk, although "Confessions" is the only track on the album dominantly led by these styles. "Do Nothing/Bitch Slap" is the album's most complex song, combining both of these dominant styles as well as implementing areas of disco. The album title and the majority of the lyrics are references to the role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Vocalist Anders Colsefni and percussionist Shawn Crahan shared a mutual interest in the game which was a large influence on the band, Colsefni said: "The attraction was being able to play a different person", declaring that this was the essence of Slipknot.