"Custer"
Single by Slipknot
from the album .5: The Gray Chapter
ReleasedOctober 10, 2014 (2014-10-10)
GenreNu metal[1]
Length4:14
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Fidelman
Slipknot singles chronology
"The Devil in I"
(2014) 		"Custer"
(2014) 		"Killpop"
(2015)

"Custer" is a song 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.[2]

Composition

The song begins with percussionist Shawn Crahan describing what the tempo of the song should be.[3] The track then quickly transgresses into one that is much more deep and forceful, opening the composition. The song contains lead vocalist Corey Taylor speaking in the manner of a radio announcer, and the line "Cut, cut, cut me up and fuck, fuck, fuck me up".[4] During concerts, percussionist Chris Fehn would usually sing the chorus with Corey.

Critical reception

Metal Hammer describes the work as having "an air of the self-titled about it with Sid's scratching in the background and almost poem-esque opening verse".[5] ArtistDirect describes the tune as "'Surfacing 2015' with a massive refrain and Faith No More-esque groove that burns and blazes with evil and engaging panache."[6] The Guardian praised "Custer" as well as "Sarcastrophe", noting "some huge choruses lurking within the repurposed death metal riffs and tribal clatter"[7]

TikTok trend

In 2023, "Custer" became popular on the video sharing service TikTok. Videos on TikTok consisted of users dancing to the song with dance moves from Los Del Rio's "Macarena", among many other types of video that the song was used for.[1]

Charts

Chart performance for "Custer"
Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[8] 28

References

  1. ^ a b Mills, Matt (May 2, 2023). "10 metal songs that are weirdly popular on streaming". Metal Hammer. Retrieved May 5, 2023. A number of online trends revolve around this nu metal rager, which include 'girly pop', 'Slipknot cats' and 'the Slipknot Macarena'.
  2. ^ "Slipknot Unleash Live Video for New Single 'Custer'". Loudwire. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "Slipknot Stream Brutal New Album Track 'Custer'". Music Feeds. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Slipknot Unveil New Track 'Custer' Ahead of Album Release". Loudwire. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Listen to the new Slipknot track Custer". Metal Hammer. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Album Review: Slipknot ".5: The Gray Chapter" – 5 out of 5 stars". ARTISTdirect. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  7. ^ Lawson, Dom (16 October 2014). "Slipknot: .5: The Gray Chapter review – Iowan rockers' suitably unhinged return". The Guardian. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  8. ^ "Slipknot Chart History (Mainstream Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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