.5: The Gray Chapter Songwriting Credits by Slipknot

5: The Gray Chapter is the fifth studio album by Slipknot, released in October 2014 on Roadrunner Records and produced by Greg Fidelman, the band's first album following the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010 and the departure of drummer Joey Jordison in 2013, recorded with new bassist Alessandro Venturella and new drummer Jay Weinberg, and addressed the loss of Gray throughout its lyrical content. The band wrote all material; the album's themes of grief and continuation were the most personally direct in Slipknot's catalog, with 'The Devil in I,' 'Killpop,' 'Skeptic' (which opens with a sample of Gray's playing), and 'Custer' among the principal tracks. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 135,000 first-week sales, demonstrating that the band retained their commercial constituency through the lineup changes, and has been certified gold in the United States. '19 Grief St.' was the closing track and featured the most direct musical tribute to Gray. 5: The Gray Chapter is regarded by critics as a genuine artistic response to loss rather than a commercial continuation, and it successfully reestablished the band's creative credibility following a difficult transitional period.