"All Out Life" is a song by American heavy metal bandSlipknot. Released as a single on October 31, 2018, it is the band's only single that was not included on an album, though it was included on the Japanese version of We Are Not Your Kind. The track's release was accompanied by a music video directed by the band's percussionist and backing vocalistShawn Crahan. It is the band's first single in nearly three years, following "Goodbye", which was released in January 2016 as the final single from . It is the final recording to feature longtime percussionist and backing vocalist Chris Fehn before his dismissal from the band due to lawsuit in March the following year.
Composition and lyrics
According to Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, "All Out Life" was written as "a rallying cry for everyone... about all of us getting together and saying, 'You know what. Let's not talk about old. Let's not talk about new. Let's talk about what is. Let's talk about what's good, what's real, and get behind that and start embracing things that matter because there's history there and not just because it's the next best thing." Taylor also provided the following additional background to the composition of the song:
Promotion and release
"All Out Life" premiered as the "World Record" on Zane Lowe's Beats 1radio show on October 31, 2018, after which the song was made available for digital download. The music video for the song was directed by band member Shawn "Clown" Crahan. Kerrang!writer Nick Ruskell noted that the video does not feature any of the band members, and described that it depicts "hooded-up figures being carted off to prison to be sprayed in gore like something from The Human Centipede 3". The song was chosen as the theme song for WWE's weekly show NXT on April 4, 2019. Despite its title being taken from a lyric in the chorus, the song is not on We Are Not Your Kind. According to Taylor, this is because it was only intended as a song to let Slipknot's fans know that they are still around, and he thought the lyric "would just be a cool crowd chant". "All Out Life" does appear on the Japanese import of We Are Not Your Kind.
Style and reception
Andrew Trendell of the NME described "All Out Life" as "thrash-heavy". Nick Ruskell commented that "There's an intensity that outstrips pretty much anything from last three records, with a streak of venom running through it that could have been vomited forth from Iowa." Scott Munro of Metal Hammer dubbed the single "ferocious" and "incredible". The track was nominated for a Kerrang! Award for Best Song.
